The Feral
by DNA-Do-Not-Abominate
Summary: After suffering a concussion, the Watersons come to learn that Gumball has turned feral. He no longer talks, walks, or learns, but instead acts like a real cat driven by instinct. Will Gumball ever be his old self again or is there no hope for the blue feline everyone came to know so well? (Chapters with Zach are optional, but encouraged to be read. You may skip them, if you want).
1. Gumball No Longer

**A/N: Hey readers. Before you start, I just wanted to let you know that I humbly believe my story might not be "phenomenal" mainly in part to the middle; I sort of rushed chapters 5-7, caring less about the midpoint, but in my defense, I always meant for it to be more of a _destination_ kind of story rather than a _journey_. I could've done more with Gumball's feral behavior; I know that as a fact, but I hope you will feel the same way when reading. I was more focused on the beginning and ending to the tale; not so much the middle. I had other ideas I wanted to get to, but I none the less tried my best at this.**

 **Chapter titles with a "Z" give an indication to Zach in them (except 10, which is a mix, but pretty simple to follow)**

 **Anyway, I just wanted to put that out there before you start, just so I don't get too many/much heavy criticisms about "not doing enough with primal Gumball" and all. Enjoy!**

* * *

Gumball was hooked up to a bunch of different machines inside the Elmore Hospital. His mom, dad, and siblings were there in the room with him, sitting around in pity and fear. They heard nothing but the electrocardiograph beeping nonstop.

"I'm sure everything is going to be ok mom." spoke Anais, "The doctors said that aside from some unusual brain activity, he'll be ok."

"I know sweetheart," Nicole said with sadness drowning her every word, "I just wish this never happened. He's lucky to even be alive after that stunt he pulled." Darwin felt some responsibility on his part and spoke up.

"It's not like we didn't warn him. Me and Anais tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen." Richard decided to budge in and not feel left out.

"Well I sure hope he learned for next time to not do such a dangerous stunt. I mean, trying to do a back flip off the roof of the house on a skateboard? What was he thinking?"

"I don't think he was dad," replied Anais. "Only an idiot who does not think at all would do something so stupid and dangerous." Nicole looked at her son on the bed before her. Despite being tied up with an arm cast, leg cast, neck brace, and a severely bruised face, she worried about only one thing.

"What I worry for the most is the concussion he suffered. The doctors said that it would be a miracle if he came out of this without brain damage." She gasped depressingly as she started to produce tears out of her eyes. "They said he might not be himself when he comes to." Nicole wished she could have been home to have stopped him. Richard got up from his seat and came around to his wife's side to try and comfort her. He wrapped his big arms around her and tried to comfort her worries with a hug.

He pressed his chubby face against hers and told her softly "It's ok Sweetie. He's going to make it after all." He released his grip from her and looked down on himself in shame. "I shouldn't have left the house to go get dinner. I just wanted to surprise you when you got home was all." Nicole stared at Richard as she rested her paw on his shoulder.

"Don't blame yourself for this Richard. I know you didn't think this would happen leaving the kids home by themselves for only a little while." Hearing Nicole made him smile, feeling relieved that she did not hate him for what happened. Just then, a doctor opened the door to address the family.

"Well Mr. and Mrs. Waterson," began the band aid doctor, "We got the results back about your son's condition. We have good news and bad news." Everyone in the room instantly frowned in fright when the doctor said "bad news". Nicole decided to try and stay optimistic however, forcing a smile on her face as she faced the doctor.

"What's the good news, Doc?" she replied.

"The good news is that your son IS going to be alright. The injuries he sustained should heal up overtime and we managed to stop any internal bleeding or damage he obtained from his injury". The kids and parents sighed a breath of relief at the results.

"Oh, thank heavens," said Nicole as she relaxed herself into the back of the chair. She felt like a weight had just been lifted off of her as she closed her eyes and faced the ceiling. But now came the other half.

"So what's the bad news?" said Anais, worrying for her older brother. The doctor looked down on her and tried to express his voice as sympathetically and calmly as possible to the family.

"The bad news I'm afraid is…your son's head was the first part of his body to be injured. Fearing the worst, my staff and I compared your son's brain activity from his last visit to what it is now and…it's different alright." His words brought the relief to a sudden ditch. All their hopes and happiness instantly turned back into fear and worry.

"What do you mean by different?" inquired Darwin, who was sitting right next to his sister Anais.

"Your brother's brainwaves are not what they appeared to be. We don't know for sure why that is; it could be a multitude of different cases. Multiple Personality Disorder, Amnesia, psychoses, or any amount of things. In short, your son…might not be the same when he wakes up."

Without the family's notice, Gumball started to regain consciousness. His eyes slowly opened to only behold a blur mixed with unrecognizable voices. He was groaning lightly as he came to, peering his eyes open ever so slowly (in pain). He couldn't tell what was going on, only that there was some kind of discussion going on. His mom was now standing up, arguing with the doctor. Gumball could not make out what was being said, but everyone else could.

"You're telling me that you don't know what's wrong with my son?! What kinds of doctors work her?"

"Mam, please understand that brain diseases are very hard to narrow down. The activity could be anything."

"So how do we find out what is wrong with him then? Huh?" her voice started to sound terrifying as the doctor was having to take her motherly wrath. Richard got up from out of his seat and backed her up, though mostly out of fear of being on the wrong side.

"Yeah. You better figure out what's wrong or…" The voices still sounded to disorganized to Gumball. As the seconds went by, his focus had started to recover. While still a bit of a blur, he could see his mom and dad to the right of the room with the doctor just next to the door. His sister and adoptive fish brother were sitting on the floor, out of his sight. He gave out a silent moan of pain.

"ohhhhhh" he exhaled out of him. The parents were still complaining with the doctor when Anais could've sworn she heard her brother. She looked away from the debate and saw his eyes narrowly opened. She stood up and walked to him, going around to his right side of the bed.

"Gumball?" she said quietly. He looked at her from below the bed and directed his attention to her. Anais's face instantly lit up with a smile. She turned her back and shouted at everyone "Hey guys! He's awake! Gumballs come to." Richard and Nicole stopped their bickering and stared at Anais, then Gumball. The two smiled and ran to his side with Darwin coming from behind. The doctor remained in the back of the room, trying not to complain about the parents' irrational arguing against his job. They all leaned in around him as he kept his eyes squinted.

"Gumball," said Nicole, "are you alright?" He said nothing, peering at everyone around him like they were interrogating him. Nicole looked worried and repeated her question. "Gumball, are you there? Say something, please!" She gave him a sincere look when she finished. Gumball rocked his head a little. He started blinking, first slowly, then rapidly. Eventually, when he came to his senses, he gave everyone around them a stare. The corners of his eyes were narrows down to points with the centers barely big enough to hold his pupils. He stared at them exactly like a cat would and gave them all a horrible sound from his mouth.

"k-HHHIISSSSS." he slithered out of his almost closed lips. The family instantly backed away, confused and shocked from his response. Nicole's face instantly became displeased with him.

"Gumball Waterson," she said with her hands on her hips, "that is no way to talk to your family!" Gumball did not understand however and simply remarked back at her. He widened his lips open and scrunched his teeth together.

"TISSS" he screeched at his mom. He started to shake himself around on the bed, crying out in pain as he was moving his broken bones around. He struggled effortlessly at trying to break out.

"Doctor, come quick!" shouted Richard as he looked at his abnormally behaved son. The doctor ran up from behind and squeezed in between the married couple.

"What, what is-*GASP*" replied the doctor in shock. He had never seen a child act so ghastly before. He leaned out to his right, grabbed a needle from off a table, and pulled out a little bottle from behind him as he started withdrawing the substance. "Your son's behavior is causing him too much pain. If I don't administer to him some anesthetics, he'll worsen his injuries even further." He got close to Gumball's neck and pointed the needle down at him.

"DOCTOR, wait!" cried Nicole with her arm stretched out in plea at the professional. She was stopped by Richard as he held out his arm to hold back her body. Before she could react, the Doctor injected the needle into his neck.

"RA-HANNNN" shouted Gumball at the sudden pain he felt. When the doctor was finished, Gumball started struggling even more than before. It didn't last long however as he started slowing down, his eyes beginning to narrow back to a sleep as he lessened his movement more and more. By time he had calmed down and back to sleep, his family was in complete dubiousness.

"Doctor, what's wrong with my brother?" said Anais, staring at him with big beady eyes. It made him feel so sorry for having to do what he did, but he knew the family had to know.

"I'm not too sure," he said. "But I think…Gumball is a cat, right?" Nicole answered him.

"Yeah, so?"

"Well Mrs.… I don't quite know how sure I am about this, but…I think your son has turned…feral." Nicole was once more shocked, but Richard was at a loss.

"Wait, what's that mean?" he said with confusion. The doctor faced him for his answer.

"It means that your child has…reverted back to a level of instinct. He was behaving just like a cat would and not a person." He took a step forward. "He doesn't seem to have any intelligence with normal civil behavior anymore. He might think that he's…just a cat." Nicole held up her fist to try and hide her frown. Her eyes instantly became sad and beady like Anais's.

"Are you saying that…our son isn't normal?" The doctor held his head down as he replied back at her.

"I'm saying…that's not your son. Not anymore it seems."


	2. Scaredy Cat

The doctor closes the door to Gumball's room with the entire family from behind him. The door snaps shut and the bandage doctor turns to face the family, specifically Richard and Nicole.

"Mr. and Mrs. Waterson, I know what you might have seen was just horrifying, but I assure you that there is help for your son." The parent's faces lit up with hope.

"Really?" said Richard, "That's incredible! But what is it exactly?" The doctor pulled out a slip of paper from out of his scrub pocket.

"If you children don't mind, might I have a moment with your mom and dad for a while?" Darwin and Anais looked at each other, knowing whatever he was about to tell them was not meant for them to hear. They both gave a silent nod of agreement and looked up at the doctor.

"If you want to, then sure," spoke Anais. "But where are we supposed to go?" Nicole decided to speak up.

"Why don't you two go keep an eye on your brother for me and your father while we figure this all out?"

"Ok, Mrs. Mom" said Darwin. There was a hint of sadness in the way he spoke that made her worry for him. _I can't imagine how they must think of this_ she thought to herself as she watched them open the door and enter Gumball's sanctuary. The doctor didn't intend on leaving those children unattended however. Just before closing the door from behind them, the doctor held the door open just as a bandage nurse wearing a pink scrub uniform came by.

"Nurse," he called out to her with his free hand, "Would you mind keeping an eye on the children in this room for me while I speak with the parents?"

"Of course doctor, no problem" she said willful and sympathetically. She walked across the walkway and pushed the opened door out, allowing her to enter. She said nothing as she entered and left the adults to converse.

"Now what I'm about to tell you might seem a bit radical to you," he started out as caring as he could be, "but I need you to understand the seriousness of what is happening with your son." Their joy suddenly dropped to fear, completely terrified of where this was going.

"What do you mean?" Nicole said, grabbing hold of Richard's hand and clenching to it. Richard could feel her strength, but it was nowhere near as powerful as it could be. _I hope she doesn't break my hand like she did that one guy back in jail_ he thought to himself, now worried about more than his own son's life.

"We've seen cases like this before where patients will…lose knowledge of who they once were. For patients who suffer under these kinds of conditions, we often recommend…a place. Where they will be able to get the necessary help to be better again." He held up the pamphlet to show the cover to them. The second they saw it, it sent a shiver down their spines and brows straight up in shock. "We call it the 'Helper House'" added the doctor, but on the pamphlet, it said something worse: Elmore Center for the Psychological and Physically disabled. The cover was half brown and half gold, cut obliquely down one side. The letters were in a bold white overlaying the brown coloring as a picture of the center, which resembled to that of an ordinary hospital, pasted over the gold. Nicole couldn't hold in her thoughts.

"You expect us to send our son to a…a…" she was at a loss for words, dreading having to say such an ugly thing. Richard, who had built up a shocking anger to him, blurted it out in haste for his wife, adding as much hatred as he could for her, and himself.

"An institute?!" he shouted, trying to hold back his full voice to not disturb his children on the other side. Nicole was relieved she didn't have to say the word, but looked at Richard with a face that showed how upset she was with his volume. She quickly diverted her attention back to the doctor, however as he tried to defend himself.

"You need to realize that your child needs professional help. He is in no condition for…well, you know…society". Nicole felt like wanting to punch the doctor right in his face, thinking he had just insulted her own son, but held herself back. Richard's anger transitioned into sadness.

"Isn't there anything we can do to help him, Doc?" he said trying to hold back the tears in his eyes best he could. The doctor pulled the packet down and let it hang near his hip. He held up his free right hand to his chin and stared up at the ceiling to think.

"Well there are some things you can try, but I should warn you…" he turned to face the two again. "They're pretty cliché."

"We don't care how typical it is," said Nicole courageously, "we'll do whatever it takes to get our son back." The doc smiled slightly, impressed with how determined he found the blue cat to be.

"Well in that case, one common trick is to try and help someone relive memories from the past, such as being around friends, going to common hang out spots, and family vacations. You can also try re-teaching to him some common things done in day-to-day life, like eating with silverware and playing games." The parents nodded with some happiness in his suggestions, believing they will be ok. "You should just know however that these do not always typically work. There are just times when the brain is far too gone to remember old memories, and if worse comes to worse, then-"

"AHHH!" There came a scream from beyond the wall to Gumball's room. It sounded like Anais, but before Nicole and Richard could open the door expecting the worse, she and Darwin bursted out. They slammed the door shut behind them and pressed against it with every bit of strength that fueled them. They looked horrible, having scratch marks all over their faces and limbs. Darwin even had a bit mark on the top of his head, only identifiable by the circles pressed into his scales.

"What on earth happened to you guys?" cried Nicole in freight. She leaned down to her children, observing the terrifying damage done to their bodies. They were huffing and puffing breath like they had just ran a marathon, unable to answer instantly to the question.

"It's Gumball!" shouted Anais with panic, "He broke out of his bed and attacked us! He's still in there with the nurse!"

"He tried to chase us, attack us, and he even ate me! HE BIT MY HEAD!" cried Darwin. Nicole pushed her kids out of the way, trying not to be too forceful. She grabbed hold of the doorknob as she stood back up and opened the door. The room was nearly destroyed. Half the lights flickered with damage, the bed tilted over in its side as the ECG beeped continuously in monotone, and even the accessories all ruined. Books, flowers, the chairs, all spread out everywhere. Nicole saw an even scarier sight as she watched Gumball clawing at the nurse. She was shouted and crying out in pain and agony, taking every slashing by force. Had it not have been for Gumball being so young, his claws would probably have done less superficial damage. After the door was opened for a couple seconds, Gumball stopped his clawing. He pulled his head up from his attack stances, sensing the presence of another nearby. Nicole stood in the doorway where a bright white light illuminated behind her. Gumball, however, was shrouded in shadowy darkness as the lights above flickered menacingly. He twisted his head to face her, peering at her with those cat eyes of his. He didn't see her as his mom, but just another creature looking for a fight. He pulled himself off from the nurse and walked to the other blue cat on all fours. He approached her slowly, but fearless. Nicole knew she had to say something, but couldn't find it in her to stay calm. She figured there was only one way to stop him.

"Gumball Waterson," she said terrifyingly, looking down upon him from her height as he approached her, "I am your mother, and as your mom, I demand that you stay where you are!" She crossed her arms as she looked down at him and, almost suddenly, he stopped. Gumball's eyebrows were raised as his cat eyes started to raise. Something inside of him was telling him that he has seen this creature before. That height, that stance, and especially those eyes. The way the eyes made her anger transparent seemed too great.

Then, at a moment's notice, flashbacks started to come to him. He could remember every time this woman had gotten furious in such a manner. The scenes were almost too clear. He knew he had seen her before and, feeling powerless to her anger, he panicked. He let out a whine like that of any feline and shot himself up against the back of the wall behind him. The violated nurse scooted herself away from the child. Gumball crouched to the side of the wall, cheek pressed up against it in fear. His head and eyes turned away from his mother, too afraid to face her. Nicole raised her brows, surprised by his reaction.

 _My goodness_ she thought to herself. _I can't believe that worked, but…he's so scared._ Her face and ears drooped as she started to feel bad for scaring her child. She started to walk to him, slow and nonthreatening. He could feel her coming closer, but refused to face her. By time she approached him, she knelt down to his level. One knee to the floor, she faced her child as compassionately as she could.

"Gumball," she said softly, "please…don't be scared of me." He still refused to face her, shaking in fear with closed eyes. He could feel nothing but fear in this moment. Nicole felt horrible for making her son so worried. _It's not his fault_ she thought. She looked down at herself in shame, but had an idea. She saw her paws and twisted them around, face up, then down again. She pulled her heard up to face her child and held out her paw to him. She hoped for the best as she smiled with sympathy.

"Hey you," she said sweetly, "It's ok. I'm not gonna hurt you". Gumball could hear her calm maternal voice and stopped his trembling. He opened his one, unsquished eye to face her, slit narrowly as normal for him (now). He looked at her face open paw and found some symbolic offering of truce. He unpressed his face from the wall as he turned to face her, first looking at her paw, then up at her face. Nicole could tell that he was skeptical to just accept her kindness. Gumball faced his mother with a look of both sorrow and curiosity. _It's like looking at the face of a newborn baby_ Nicole thought, _so clueless and scared, but needy._ Gumball set his sight back on her paw and took a step forward, front right first. He stepped towards her slowly on all four, each step looking like he was crossing through quicksand with such delicacy. When he made it, he tilts his head down to face her exposed paw. He stared, but only for a couple seconds. He proceeded to sniff it lightly with caution. Nicole couldn't figure out why he was doing it, but at least he was calm. She lifted her smile and tilted her paw slightly to face Gumball's cheek. Before he had a second to react, she pressed down against his fur and stroked the side of his neck. It startled Gumball, but he could not move. Her embrace had lowered his guard and weakened him. He relaxed as she continued to pet him, purring with love and nodding his head forward and back. He closed his eyes and let her motherly love take control of him, unable to do anything under her. Nicole was not sure whether to feel proud for calming him down, or awkward for the situation she was in now. _I guess as long as no one's getting hurt, its ok I guess._ Unknown to Nicole, her family stood behind her in the doorway of the room. The white light behind them created long shadows that stretched out into the middle of the half-lit area.

"See?" said Richard with his arms crossed. "Your mother can handle just about any situation, good or bad." Little did Richard know the doctor was zigzagging behind him.

"Would you PLEASE move out of the way already!" he cried out at him as he finally made his way forward. "I need to see how the nurse is." He pushed him away and propelled himself into the room, finding the nurse crouched in a corner in fear. He ran to her side and took her hand. "Are you alright?" She looked up at him; trying to wipe what little tears left on her.

"I'm *sniffle* fine doc. I just *sniffle* need some bandages please." He pulled her up and led her to the doorway, making his way past Richard and the kids as he spoke.

"It's ok. We'll get you some hydrogen peroxide and fix you right up…" He left the family alone at the doorway, with Nicole and Gumball on the other side across.

"I don't believe it," said Darwin with a white wrap around his head from the bite wound. "How did Mrs. Mom calm him down like that?" Anais raised a hand under her chin and came up with her guess.

"I guess since Gumball and Mom are both similar looking, he saw her as the dominant specie of his kind. He probably thought it was better to embrace her protection than to fight her for power." Richard looked at his daughter below to counter.

"I bet all he needed was a little love." He covered his hand over his chest and let out an aww at the scene. Nicole bent down a little more to pick Gumball up from around his body and pulled his head up over her shoulders. She wrapped her hands around him as he put his arms over her, tilting his head slightly with his eyes closed. He seemed happy to be with her, even if he did not know that she was his mom. None the less, it felt right to him. She turned to find her family waiting for her at the doorway and proceeded towards them.

"I know Gumball is still in there somewhere," she pronounced to her family. She looked down at him as he appeared to be sleeping. "I know my son is still here, and I'm not gonna rest until he's better." The doctor slide in from almost nowhere beside Richard and faced Nicole.

"Uh, Mrs. Waterson," he said, "I'm afraid that because one of my staff members was attacked by your son," He took a deep breath. "We're gonna have to de-claw him for other people's protection." Nicole gave the man the most dissatisfied look she could muster.

"You will not remove a single claw from my son." She said bitterly towards him in disgust.

"I figured you might say that, so here's the thing: Either you let us remove what makes him a danger to others or…" he pulled up the ECPP pamphlet for her to see. She darted her eyes at him in a similar manner to that of Gumball, but released a sigh of depression with her eyes closed and her head tilted down. She removed her grasp on her son and held him up to the doctor, still sound asleep.

"Just…please be careful with my baby" she said remorseful. He stepped forward and out into the open to retrieve Gumball.

"Thank You, Mrs. Waterson," he collectively spoke. "We just need fifteen minutes with your son, and then you may leave with him." Anais looked up at the doctor with confusion.

"But shouldn't he stay here until he gets better?" He looked at her and couldn't find the right words.

"Oh little girl, I'm afraid your brother isn't going to get better here." He turned and walked away from them, holding that one piece of fear with the family in such a distasteful and unforgiving manner. All except Richard for that matter; too ignorant to understand the insult. "Psst." He whispered behind Richard's head. He turned to face him, attentive and blank as usual. "If you can't help you son," he pulled the pamphlet out from around one of his hands wrapped around Gumball. "These people can. Take it, for your own sake."

"Ok." Richard said with obedience in a nonchalant manner. Neither Nicole nor the rest were any bit the wiser to his actions. They were all too scared of the uncertainty that would come with rehabilitating their kin.


	3. Z - He's Alive Inside

In an instant, Gumball is seen, but the setting has changed, with him as well. In a vast field of pitch darkness, Gumball appears from below, rubbing his head in agony.

"Ahh, my head" he grumbles out. He strokes the upper half where his injury had occurred, but there was no sign of damage. He looked just like he always had, including his eyes. He opened them, blinking repetitiously for the first few seconds and shaking his head slightly. He started looking around at the dark place, feeling a sense of fear coming on. "Wait a second…where am I?" He got up from off the floor and stood on his two feet. "What is this place?"

A voice came from out of the darkness. "Where do you think you are?" It sounded boastful and arrogant; a voice so full of themself that it made Gumball disgusted even just hearing it. At first, he shot his back straight up at the sound, completely caught off guard. Then, he looked behind him and all around in the sky. He knows he's heard that voice before, but can't quite place it.

"Hello?" he asked the darkness, "Who's there?"

"Who do you think it is…Gumball?" There it came again, still from no particular place.

"Wait a second… Is that…no. No. No-no-no, it can't be; that's impossible!" Gumball started to panic as he shot his head left and right.

"So you do remember some-thing after all." Gumball looked worried and dreaded the voice.

"SHOW YOURSELF!" he shouted into the dark. "Come out and face me right now!" Suddenly, a figure came from out of the darkness behind Gumball. He creped forward slowly and quietly, with a smug look on his face and blue fur like Gumball's on his body, with the exact same clothes as him (except for a popped up collar).

He whispered from Gumball's back. "With pleasure." Gumball jumped and flipped backwards, holding up his paws against the figure. His hunch was correct, and he saw someone he never wanted to again. He lowered his brow at him.

"Zach" he slithered out of his mouth with contempt. "I figured as much the second I heard your voice you…you… jerk." Suddenly, Gumball's face became unserious and he looked away from his enemy. "Darn it, why couldn't I have thought of something better." Zach decided to help him out.

"You mean like 'you narcissistic, backstabbing, controlling, manipulative piece of dirt'?"

"There you go again, taking things from me." He became serious again. "Your nothing but scum Zach, and I thought I got rid of you the last time we met." Zach's smirk became bigger.

"You can't get rid of me, Gumball. I am a part of you, and I always will be. That's why I'm here." Gumball looked around the darkness, unclear to what he meant.

"Dude, what even is 'here'?" he asked him, lowering his guard and relaxing his face.

"Here, Gumball, is the Subconscious," he started off, walking past Gumball as he talked. "This is where all memories that ever existed or came to mind go for long-term storage. It's where memories that can't be completely forgotten come to wait for resurfacing." He suddenly disappeared and became a puff of blue dust. Gumball shot himself back with his arms open and jaw dropped at the sudden disappearance. "Dah!" was all Gumball said in shock. Then the voice continued again.

"It's kind of like a limbo for the mind." Zach said from behind Gumball. Somehow, he was lying on top of an invisible platform, body laid out in mid air as he looked down below Gumball. "Memories here neither exist nor die. We just get sent here to wait out the possibility of either coming back, or leaving forever."

"But I did get rid of you; You EX-PLO-DED for goodness sakes! And also, how are you doing that!?" cried Gumball.

"It doesn't work that way for me though. I'm not like a toy or vacation; I am a part of you-you. I can never be gotten rid of no matter what, just repressed." He stood up from the platform and jumped off, but he didn't hit the ground. Just a few feet from collision, he floated in mid air, stunning Gumball once more. "And that's exactly what has happened to you: The Conscious One; Gumball Tristopher Watterson." Gumball had to ask.

"How are you doing all this? The teleporting, the floating? How is this possible?" Zach laughed at Gumball and was happy to answer.

"This is a brain, where anything is possible if you think you can make it happen you idiot." Gumball got mad, but smiled with a small sense of pride.

"Oh yeah, well can an idiot do this?" He scrunched his face in concentration, wheezing as he focused.

"What are you doing?" Zach asked him confused. Gumball exhaled a breath of exhaustion and confessed.

"I was trying to imagine a tiger with wings to come in and grab you and fly you as far away as possible."

"Oh yeah. Well, that's not gonna work here. You're in MY domain; I control this entire portion of the brain. You come from the Consciousness above me, where you hold dominion and control both there, and in reality beyond this skull, you lucky fool."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Ugh," said Zach, pinching his eyes together in irritation. "Allow me to explain." He started to ascend above Gumball and manifested from, out of the black, a large screen. On it appeared a poster with a transparent head and a brain. The brain was separated into three portions: a yellow top, an orange middle, and a red bottom. Next thing Gumball knew, a tan colored rod appeared magically in Zach's hand. "As you can see from this chart," he said pointing the rod at the top yellow portion. "your brain is divided out into three general memory sections: your Conscious, the Sub, and the Hindbrain. When you hit the very top of your head, it knocked out about 20% of your brain activity, which is dominated by the Conscious, and because your Conscious is 'inert', your brain is now working on the other two portions."

"Wo-wo-woh, wait a second," Gumball interrupted, "When did I knock out my Conscious?" He wasn't quite following along, which only irritated Zach more.

"Oh, for the love of-." He snapped his free fingers and pulled up a second screen. It was a video this time, and the freeze screen was overlooking the backyard of Gumball's house. No grass was seen, but there was the blue sky, the wood fence, the shed to the corner right, and the assortment of houses beyond reach. "Just watch and stay quiet alright?" Gumball was about to speak out against him, but before he could react, Zach started the video without doing anything.

* * *

"Alright, this is it." said Gumball's voice on the video (from his perspective). The screen shot down to below the ground, where Darwin and Anais were on opposite ends of the lawn. Darwin on the left and Anais right, both looking up at Gumball with fear.

"Gumball, for the last time, don't do this." shouted Anais from below. "What do you expect to accomplish out of this?"

"It's simple," he replied, "Tobias bet me I couldn't pull of a hardcore stunt over the weekend, and I'm gonna try and do a kick flip off the roof. Whether I'm okay or not, he's gonna give me $50 for the video. $50 Anais"!

"Yeah, and it's probably gonna go towards your hospital bill when Mom and Dad find you with a broken arm."

"Relax sis. Darwin got the first aid pack beside him if anything goes wrong." He directed his focus towards Darwin on the left, who was holding a camera up at Gumball. "Make sure that it's rolling this time. If I do this and find out it wasn't recording, I'll make you do this stunt next for amusement."

"Gumball," Darwin spoke out, "Maybe Anais is right. The risk seems greater than the reward here. How about you just throw the board off the roof, climb down that ladder over there, and we'll just wait for Mr. Dad to come home?"

"Screw that! This is happening; I'm not gonna let him tell everyone at school what a chump I was for chickening out. I've chickened out too many times in life, but not this time." His head shook a little as he laid down his purple skateboard and kept one foot on it. "You guys ready to see some awesomeness?"

"NO!" the siblings shouted in unison.

'Alrighty then," Gumball spoke ignoring their criticism. "Here I go…" There were a few seconds where Gumball stood still, breathing in and out, but suddenly, he was off. The sound of his plastic wheels could be heard rolling off the shingled roof. He was picking up some speed and, only after a few seconds, he saw the gutter coming. Gumball lowered his stance slightly, preparing for the worst. With no more time to spare, he tried to jump the board up in the air, expecting to grab hold of it in mid flight. Unfortunately, he failed epically. Instead of him jumping with the board, only he took off, letting the board roll off and right next to the house. Gumball was screaming in fear as he started leaning backwards. The jump he did was shot at an angle so severe going down, he had shifted the weight of his body in the direction the board was heading, shooting him backwards off the house. From the video's view, all that was heard was his screaming coupled with Gumball's siblings shouting his name in fear. All that was seen, however, was the back side of the house; the blue exterior, the back door, and some of the grass above Gumball's sight. Suddenly, there was a thunk, and the screen went black.

* * *

"That's what happened to you right there." Zach said as the second screen disappeared. "You hit the top of your head and it knocked you out, pushing your Conscious self into the Subconscious for, how would you say…repairing."

"Okay, so how do I get out then, cause I'm guessing you don't want me here anymore than you do."

"I'm getting to that, just cool it." Zach refocused his attention back on the poster and directed his rod through the sections. "Anyway, with the Conscious inactive, it is relying on the Subconscious to send memories back to it and help jumpstart the brain up again. Only through interaction with the real world will this be made slowly, but in time and a little hope, effectively. For the meanwhile, however, your brain has to function on its original Hindbrain, which is where primitive behavior was eventually repressed with development in age, society, and time."

"So what? Are you saying that I'm stuck here with you until I'm active or something?" Gumball spoke out in confusion.

"No Gumball." Zach said as he descended towards him on the ground. "Technically, our brain is using the Hind to work right now, so the body is acting like a real cat on the outside to everyone around you and all of Elmore. The only way this behavior will cease is if the Conscious comes back online and overrules it, but that won't work without help from here in the Sub, which can only be influenced by the outside world. Understand?" Zach had finally reached Gumball and stood a few feet away from the smug and condescending jerk. Gumball felt like wanting to punch him, but he held back from his urges.

"I think so, but I have just one more question to ask." The picture suddenly disappeared from above them.

"And what would that be?"

"I can understand you being here, but where is everything else? Why are there no other memories here right now?" Zach smiled devilishly at Gumball.

"I'm glad you asked." He suddenly started to grow bigger, only a few half inches every couple of seconds. "Remember when I said I couldn't be gotten rid of? Because I am connected with you more than any other memory, I have so much in control here that I have resided my own space. Outside this darkness, there are hundreds, even thousands of other memories that I can bring in at will, but I am the most powerful of them all, and so I rule them all; in a place I call my own." Zach was now about fifteen feet tall and bigger than before. He towered over Gumball and it made him scared. "And once the Conscious kicks back on," He leaned down to Gumball and stared at him through one huge eye. It was so glossy and clear, Gumball could see his own reflection in the pupil. "I'm gonna bust out of here and leave you to rot in this limbo. But for now…Why don't we have a little fun to pass the time?"

Gumball gulped and started trembling with fear. "I-a-hi-I don't have a choice here, do I?" he sputtered out. Zach's enormous brow lowered and he squinted his eye at him.

"Nope". Gumball held up a finger and responded.

"Okay then, just checking." He suddenly panicked and started running in the opposite direction, crying out for help. Zach, the big giant he was, chased Gumball through the darkness, refusing to let him feel safe.

Unknown to either, from behind their backs as they both ran, there was a spark of light. It glistened a pure white at first, then changed into an iridescent orange. It took on the form of a beam and shot itself straight up from afar the darkness. It propelled up and straight through, disappearing into the top coverings of black. Following the beam, it travels along a blue cylinder, wriggling it's way around turns left, right, up, and all around. In the distance, a white cover is seen and the beam stops on collision. Nothing happens to the blockade, but suddenly, from the outside, an eye is seen. With no distinct color, it zooms out to behold a cat eye. zooming out even further, the face a blue cat is seen and around him was his family. They all had just pulled up to their house, opening the doors to their yellow station wagon.


	4. Eat Prey or Love

The Waterson family had made their way home. Richard got out of the driver seat while Nicole opened the door, holding a leash. Darwin and Anais both got out from opposite sides while Gumball, who could not stop glaring at Darwin, jumped out of the middle seat and landed on all fours. While Richard picked up Anais from the back driver side of the vehicle, Darwin remained standing next to the car. He did not feel like wanting to walk any closer to Gumball, who was sitting obediently on the sidewalk next to Nicole. As Richard made his way around with his daughter, Nicole just stared down at her son, who was now busy licking his arm (or shirt for that matter).

"This feels so wrong," said Nicole with sorrow to match her feelings. "This is my son after all, not a pet." She just frowned in disappointment as she stared down at him. Richard could see that she was upset. Richard felt the exact same as she did, but he refused to express it. For as vacuous as he was, he always found a way to be optimistic about everything. He figured it was better to be blissful than cynical, and he hoped he could inspire his wife to feel the same.

"I'm sure he won't be like this forever honey," he said with a smile and a tone of optimism. "The doctors there said that all we need to do is reintroduce Gumball to society. Which does remind me, can we have ribs for dinner?" Nicole questioned him.

"Richard, how does that relate with recivilizing Gumball?"

"Well he's probably not going to get the handle of silverware yet, so I figured finger food would be a good start. Ribs are just what I'm in the mood for." Despite the logic he actually had in his reasoning, it just made her upset with him.

"How can you even think about food when our son can't even walk on his own two feet?" Before Richard could speak, Anais budged in.

"Well Dad does have the right idea. If Gumball's ever going to become better, we can't just expect him to get everything; we'll have to do this in baby steps." Darwin decided to walk in closer to everyone, looking frightful as before.

"I don't know if I can help you guys," he said. "You saw what he tried to do at the hospital; he think I'm food, look." He extended his fin out closer to Gumball, who looked up from his licking and snarled at Darwin.

"hhheee" he exhaled quietly, shooting his cat eyes straight into the depth of Darwin's soul. He snapped his arm back real quick and raised a leg with his body twisted.

"See? He doesn't even remember me." Darwin started to feel a heaviness in his heart. Gumball cared more about him than anyone else he knew, and now that he was gone, he felt more alone than ever. Despite that his adoptive family was around him, he couldn't help but feel like he was secluded now. The thought started to make him produce tears as he sniffled. Nicole, thinking he was upset with Gumball's behavior instead of his actual loneliness, got down on one knee and rested her spare paw in head.

"I know you're worried that Gumball doesn't trust you, Darwin," she said as sympathetically as she could. "But I'm sure that he'll eventually come back around. We just need to-"

"RA-a-HANN" shouted Gumball, who jumped right over his Mom's head and pounced Darwin from above. Before the orange goldfish could even react, he was shot straight to the ground. He let out a scream of fear that instantly transitioned to pain. Despite that he had his claws removed, Gumball still had his teeth, and sank them once more into Darwin's side. He was only on Darwin for a second when Nicole grabbed Gumball's tail and, thinking in the moment, raised him up and held him upside-down. The pink bunnies took a step back against the car while Darwin was starting to cry.

"GUMBALL!" Nicole shouted with anger as she looked at her son's head, which was with eye level of her rainbow button. "You need to learn to control yourself this instant!" The young cat looked at her with shock. He couldn't understand why she was shouting at him. "Why would you hurt your own brother? That's not ok!" The more her voice elevated, the more the outside of his face sank with shame. Anais pulled herself out of her father's grasp and walked to Darwin, looking up at her mom as she spoke.

"He probably thought you were in danger, Mom." She put her left paw over Darwin's new bite wound and rubbed it, hoping the comfort would stop his cries. "Or he could have also have gotten jealous." She directed her attention back on him and tried hugging him. It was difficult with him lying on the sidewalk, so she decided to just throw her arms over his side, doing the best she could to just give him her sympathy. Nicole glanced back Gumball and twisted him right side up.

"Well then, I think the first thing he needs to learn," she said, narrowing her eyes in despise of his attitude, "is to know how to treat his family." She put him back down on the ground, to which he just kept his focus on her. She turned towards the others with Gumball left to face her back. "Richard, go get the first aid pack out of the kitchen, as well as a pot and wooden spoon." He held up a hand in solute.

"Right away Nicole," with courage in his heart and a willingness to feel helpful. He ran into the house and through the front door. Darwin no longer whined, but he was still crying with tears coming out. Anais got up off of his side and looked up at her mom.

"What are you gonna do?" she inquired with an eyebrow raided. Nicole looked sternly at her, but directed her attention back on Gumball below, sitting there with his butt to the ground and in wolf stature.

"A little tough love, Anais. That's what's going to happen." Richard came out of the house behind them, smiling and happy to help.

"Here you are: first aid and a pot with a spoon." Nicole exchanged the leash with Richard without even warning him, taking the first aid pack from one hand. Richard looked nervous to be handling the leash to Gumball. He was scared he would attack him too. While Nicole marched away towards Darwin on the ground, Richard turned to face Gumball below. To his surprise, Gumball wasn't doing anything. He did shoot him a dirty look of contempt, worrying Richard greatly (but still smiling with his exposed teeth to look passive), but he just sat there looking up at him. Richard tried figuring out why he wasn't trying to attack him, knowing he could be food to Gumball as well. He suddenly thought he figured it out.

"Oh, I get it," he said with a smirk and a prideful voice, "You know I'm your father and so you aren't attacking me like your mother. I knew you were coming around ol' son of mine." Gumball said nothing as he just stared at him. The reality of it was that Richard was so fat, it made him look bigger in comparison, and the smaller, more feeble blue cat knew better than to fight a creature multiple times his own size. To feral Gumball, he wanted to attack his father, but felt he couldn't stand a chance, especially without his talons. Nicole came up from behind Richard.

"Ok Richard, give me the leash back." Richard turned to face his wife and handed off to her. She then gave him back the first aid pack. He remained in place at the front of the house, with Anais running up in front of him. The two pink bunnies stood at the beginning of their cement walkway, only a few feet from the house. Darwin, however, was on the opposite end, only a couple steps away from the sidewalk and the car next to the curb. Nicole and Gumball stood between them, with Nicole staring at Darwin alongside her son.

"What are you doing Mrs. Mom?" Darwin shouted with fear engulfing him. He had a white piece of bandage wrap along his cheek where Gumball put a new bite mark into him. It went perfectly well with the white head wrap from the hospital, which was slightly red, but not as bright as the new one.

"Darwin, I need you to trust me," Nicole shouted back. "I know you're scared, but Gumball needs to learn how to treat others. If he can look past you, then surly he can do the same for everyone else." Darwin looked confused.

"Why would he need to look past me?"

"Well, ya know. It's because yourrrr… I mean…" Nicole couldn't bring herself to say it. She knew that fish were, to cats in normal circumstances, food, but she just couldn't tell him. "Surely you know right?"

"Know what?" Darwin was at an absolute loss. He was too sweet and positive to look at the obvious, something he had in common with Mr. Dad. _**[**_ This was one of the qualities Richard (subconsciously) liked about Darwin: the fact that he was always positive to everybody no matter who he was around or given the situation. It was one of those qualities about him that made him love him like his own son. Nicole couldn't find much to be positive about as often as the rest of her family could on the other hand. This might be why she had a harder time coming to grasp with Darwin as her own. After all, is it really who Darwin is to Gumball anatomically that he's being put in danger and not Anais? Aren't bunnies considered to be prey to cat as well? _ **]**_

"Never mind," she grumbled out loudly to him. "Look, I'm going to walk to you with Gumball still on the leash. I want you to try and pet him. If he tries to attack you or hurt you, I'll try to hold him back."

"WHAT?" Darwin shouted. "That's crazy! He might try to bite off my fin!" He wrapped his arms together and dreaded having to hold them out.

"I need you to try Darwin. Maybe if you act sweet to him, he'll remember who you are." Darwin looked up from his fins and stared at his family from across the way. "Please Darwin? You want him back to his old self, right?" Darwin focused his attention on Gumball, who continued to stare at him with his cat eyes so full of displeasure. Darwin did not feel comfortable, but he didn't want to disappoint the others neither. He took a deep breath and let the shivers go out. He gave his answer as happily as he could, but looked worried given his long, flat grin.

"Okay Mrs. Mom. I'll try."

"Alright Darwin," she spoke, "I'm walking over to you with Gumball." She took a step forward. Then another, and after the third, Gumball followed her. He couldn't stop looking at Darwin the entire time they crept. The closer the two cats got, the more scared the fish became. He actually thought this was how he'd die: by the mouth of his own brother and the pent-up tension of his Mom. Richard and Anais did nothing, just watching the two approach him. They couldn't see him with the two blocking the view. Richard bent down to pick Anais up once more, holding her next to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her softly as they watched in suspense. Anais followed with her tiny ones holding around one of his chins/neck. The two were only about five feet away from Darwin now, with Nicole in front of Gumball and Darwin having moved himself up against the side of the car. She looked over her shoulder at her blue cat son and yanked his neck with the leash.

"Come on now" she said, trying to be happy and hopeful. She didn't yank hard, but it was enough for Gumball to be dragged forward a few inches. He looked up at her with his eyes slightly widened from how he viewed Darwin. He could see her smiling, completely unaware that she was faking it under all that shame towards him. He turned his head down back at Darwin and continued his usual stare. Darwin opened his mouth slightly, clenching his teeth together and his fins wide out at angles. Gumball started walking towards him on his four feet, with the leash raising higher and higher from behind. With every step, Darwin couldn't shake the feeling he was going to be attacked. He just knew it was gonna happen somehow. Gumball was now only a couple feet up at Darwin, close enough to smell him. To Gumball, he smelled delicious, and he smiled devilishly into Darwin's eyes.

"M-ma-ma-Mrs. M-Mom," Darwin stuttered as Gumball approached him. He inhaled sharply. "…I-a-ha-hi-I don't th-tha-think…this will work." Gumball got up close to Darwin and faced him only inches apart. Gumball leaned his head in closer and Darwin couldn't push his back anymore. Between the cold metal of the yellow wagon and his brother's moist, hot breath coming out of his nostrils, Darwin felt hopeless. He just closed his eyes and widened his teeth-clenching frown. _Please Mrs. Mom,_ he thought to himself _Don't let him kill me._ There were a few seconds of silence that felt like an eternity to Darwin. He couldn't open his eyes to save his own life, not even to the sound of Gumball sniffing him. _Wait a second…sniffing?_ Darwin couldn't understand why he was hearing it, but his curiosity had gotten the best of him. He slowly opened his eyes and found Gumball, still only a couple inches from his face, sniffing all around Darwin's head. He had his chin raised slightly, and was sniffing him. _What the…?_ Darwin thought to himself _. Is he checking to see if I'm good enough to eat or something?_ He remained absolutely still and quiet the entire time, but he eventually had to say something.

"Gumball?" he whimpered quietly. Gumball stopped his sniffing and looked the fish straight in the eyes. They were only a few inches apart. Darwin could see fear and anger in his, while Gumball could see fearful and young. "Do…do you remember me?" he continued on quietly. Gumball's smile had since long disappeared while Darwin's eyes were closed, and he now faced him with sad looking cheeks that made his ears stay down. "It's me, Darwin. I…I'm your brother." Darwin smiled at him as he peered into his narrow cat eyes. Gumball tilted his head slightly to the side in confusion of the situation. He wanted to eat him, but the scent was more familiar than just fish. Inside, something was clicking in Gumball, but he couldn't understand what. Darwin knew he wasn't getting around to him just talking. He looked down at his right fin and figured it was worth a shot. He raised his fin up and positioned it a few inches from Gumball's left side of his face. Gumball saw it coming and pulled his head back and away, giving Darwin some space to push himself off the car. Gumball's head was bent to his right, not wanting the fin to get any closer. Darwin transitioned his smile to a frown, but refused to give up.

"Gumball, please," he begged him,"let me help you." Gumball turned his attention away from the fin and back at Darwin's head. Something about his big, watery eyes got to him inside, and he knew right away that the creature was not prey, but something else. Something more meaningful. _But what?_ He couldn't fit the pieces together, but he pulled his head back into place. He tilted his head down and showed Darwin the top of his head. Darwin was hesitant, fearing that Gumball would just try and hurt him. He almost didn't want to after seeing Gumball submit just now. He couldn't think it was a bluff though. He knew he needed to trust him. He took another deep breath and, ever so slowly with care, he twisted his fin and held it over his brother's top. He slowly decreased the elevation until…there it was. The blur fur that Darwin knew he had felt before from handshakes, hugs, and just love in general. It wasn't until Gumball started to purr that Darwin started smiling. He had never heard him purr in all the years he has lived with him. It was unusual, but pleasant to hear. Next thing he knew, Gumball raised his head up and guided Darwin's fin along the back half of his neck. From there, Darwin didn't need Gumball's help. He moved his wrist forward and back, stroking the sides and back portion of Gumball's fur. What came after, however, really surprised Darwin. Before he had a chance to see it coming, Gumball turned his neck and licked his fin.

Darwin almost didn't know what to make of it. Did he taste him? Was he thanking him? Was it a Kiss? It made Darwin suddenly feel awkward, but Gumball was smiling at him, with his cat-shaped eyes opened wider than he had ever seen them since the hospital. Before he knew it, Gumball pushed his two front legs (because he is on all four after all, so they have to be called that) up and pressed them up on Darwin. He panicked at first, fearing the worst again, but Gumball started licking him all over his face. It started to make Darwin laugh.

"Da-a-ha ha," he started to say smiling him and pushing him off. "Gum-Ball, Sssto-hop it!" He couldn't help but laugh and smile. He's never seen Gumball act like this before, but he was just happy he wasn't biting him anymore. Suddenly, a shadow appeared over the two boys and, almost instantly, Darwin managed to recap back into the outside world. He looked up and saw Nicole overhead of them. She dropped the pan and spoon onto the sidewalk, creating a loud bang that scared Gumball. He instantly pushed himself off of Darwin, forcing him against the car yet again, and made Gumball nearly panic and run. Before he could do anything, she extended her arms down and picked up Gumball from around his sides. She still had the leash in one hand, but held him up and put him back over her shoulders. She started to stroke his neck like back at the infirmary, leveling him out instantly. He decided to repay her kindness by rubbing his head along the side of hers and her cheek. Darwin suddenly felt a little brought down by the sight of affection. He wasn't sure which was worse: That he felt used by his mom or that he was jealous of Gumball suddenly moving his attention back on her. He didn't frown, he just looked at them with his lip(s?) puckered slightly out like normal.

"See Darwin?" she said facing him with a smile and happiness to her voice. "I told you it would be okay." Darwin didn't say anything. He just felt a little depressed about the sudden event, and she could see it in him. She rolled her eyes playfully and said "Oh, come on Darwin", and she held out her left arm with a smile. Darwin's face instantly lit up with one also and he readily jumped into her arm. She brought him up to her shoulder and held both the boys around her, just like Richard had back at the junkyard that one time. They both hugged her on each side of her shoulder. From behind her head, Darwin and feral Gumball looked at each other from across. He held out his right fin from Mrs. Mom's left shoulder and placed it out in the open behind her neck. He was trying to get Gumball to connect his paw with his fin so that they could hug her together, but Gumball refused. He looked at the side of mom's back head, then at Darwin, lowering his eyes at him like before. It made Darwin confused, until he saw Gumball wrap his free left arm around her neck and the paw attached to it on the left side of her neck. Darwin knew then Gumball didn't want to share the love with him, special or not. To Gumball, this was his equal by birth; something he thought the fish didn't deserve since it was not a cat. Gumball's eyes narrowed even further down as a warning to him. Darwin thought he knew what it meant: _Stay away from Mrs. Mom, and we won't have problems._ Darwin's smiled disappeared back into a puckered lip with lowered eyebrows.

"Now," Nicole said pleasantly while lowering the two, "Why don't we all go inside and I'll try whipping us up some lunch. I think that's a good place to start next." She unhugged her kids and started walking back to the house, where Richard followed her in through the door. Anais turned her head towards her brothers and wanted to stay with them, but she couldn't move a muscle wrapped around her fat dad. Darwin, who picked up the pot and spoon before following, and Gumball, who was back on all fours, went in as well. Unknown to everyone else however, Gumball did two more things to Darwin before reentering. On the white patio of the front, he looked at Darwin just as the fish reached for the handle. With both facing each other, Gumball brushed himself against Darwin's side, then suddenly hissed at him. Darwin opened the door slightly to let Gumball in, but he found the behavior baffling. He figured it must have had to do with Mrs. Mom. _Maybe it's his way of saying: I won't hurt you, but beware._ Darwin sighed with great depression. He was happy Gumball no longer wanted to hurt him, but he felt more alone than scared at the moment. The loneliness and possible contempt hurt him more than his own wounds.


	5. Fleeting Hope

Night had fallen upon the Waterson house. It had been a long and trying day for everyone. Gumball was unable to do anything except react to everybody around him. He was scornful towards his father, ashamed around his mother, and only acted nice to Darwin when he wasn't anywhere near Nicole. Anais, being the smartest of her family, tried to avoid Gumball all day long. She only came near him once, and only because he was next to Richard at the time. She wanted to know how her parents were doing trying to help Gumball. Richard confessed that it was a lot more difficult than he thought, but he was determined to not give up. It was a lie though. The further on the day went, the more depressed the lump of love became inside. He couldn't show it however. He cared too much about keeping everyone's hopes high to tell them his true thoughts. Unknown to him, Anais eyed something in his pocket and pick pocketed it out, running upstairs to her room while her father was in thought with his back turned. She ran upstairs to her siblings' room. Darwin was sitting on Gumball's bed when Anais barged in. Her brows and eyes were lit up when she threw the door open in a hurry. She quickly turned to Darwin, who was trying to forget his troubles by looking down at the ground in sorrow.

"Darwin, look at this!" she called out to him. He looked at Anais and noticed what she was holding, a paper slip that was covered in brown, white, and yellow

"What is that?" Darwin responded. Anais leaned in to Darwin and opened the pamphlet to read together.

"It looks like a correctional center for people who aren't right in the head." Darwin looked towards his younger sister.

"You mean a jail?"

"No, I mean a mental institute. The kind for people who are crazy, not mean." Darwin became scared.

"But Gumball's not crazy." Anais observed the pamphlet some more, reading the print more closely.

"It seems like a place for people with mental disorders that not only make them crazy, but act socially different." She looked away from Darwin and the pamphlet for a second to think. "The doctor must have given this to our parents when we were in Gumball's room back at the hospital."

"You don't think Mrs. Mom and Mr. Dad are gonna send him there do you?" She diverted her attention back to her brother.

"I don't know Darwin. I really don't, but I think it's best if we hide this in our room. Dad will probably forget about it." She looked around the room for a place to conceal the paper, eventually settling on the inside sheets of Gumball's pillow. "This way if he sleeps on it and tears it up, Mom and Dad will think he snatched it. If he doesn't sleep here, Mom and Dad won't ever think to look." While hiding the paper, Gumball was watching the two with their backs turned. He simply stared at them crouched to the ground with his front paws pressed to the floor, all the meanwhile silent and observant. "After all, it's not like he'llllll…" Anais turned her back and saw her brother watching them as he had. She didn't know how to react, nor did Darwin when she turned him around by force. They all stared at each other, almost like they had no idea what the other was planning to do. Anais felt like speaking up. "Uhh… hey Gumball. How ya doin'?" Gumball's response was a slight tilt in his head, not breaking his wide eyed cat stare for a second. Anais was nervous, but Darwin seemed confused. The fish was slightly worried for his own concern. Gumball was a loose cannon in his new form, and it worried him greatly what he was thinking. He couldn't help but think the worst.

Before they could say anything, Nicole shouted from the hall "Kids, is Gumball upstairs with you?"

"Yes mom, he is," Anais responded loudly.

"Well try to get him to go to sleep for me would you? He made a mess downstairs and I have to clean it up." The two gave no answer, but complied to her wish. They walked up to and around Gumball with Anais near Gumball's face and Darwin from behind.

"What should we do?" Darwin asked his youngest sister. Despite her advanced intellect, Anais wasn't quite sure.

"I guess we just try and get him into bed by asking him to."

"Oh, well that shouldn't be a problem; I got this" Darwin replied. He walked back over to the bunk beds and put his left arm up on the mattress. "Gumball, would you kindly get into bed for us?" He blue cat did nothing in response while Anais just slapped her face in judgment.

"No," she started, "You need to get his attention less formally, like this." She approached up to Darwin and tried reaching her tiny paw as high up to the top as possible. "Here my big bra-der," she said sweet and high voiced with big eyes. "Come here, pwetty-pwetty" Darwin looked at his sister and found her behavior perplexive, but it helped. The feral animal stood back up on his four legs and slowly approached them as Anais went on. After a few steps, Gumball looked up over the bed, examining it for signs of any danger. He stood over it for about a minute, but refused to get up. In the end, he walked out into the center of the room, circled around a few times, and curled up into a circle on the floor. He closed his eyes and drooped back his ears as he fell into a slumber. Anais sighed, upset with her failure. She turned back to face her adoptive brother with her best answer, but the sadness in her voice almost made Darwin want to cry. "I guess it's too comfy to him." The words got him thinking. _He won't even sleep on a bed? What if gumball never gets better? Will he always be like this? Can we even help him?_ Darwin felt like tearing up, but he was too tired and in pain to have the energy for another set of waterworks.

"Maybe he'll go to bed tomorrow, Anais" His words gave the little four year old some hope, but her logic overpowered her optimism this battle. She said nothing back and climbed up to the top bunk, admitting defeat. She didn't even bother to say goodnight to Darwin, feeling too ashamed with herself to try and bother. Darwin looked down as he followed into his fishbowl. He kicked his shoes off to the floor and put one foot in with the other following. He pulled himself down and squeezed into the bowl; a rather tight fit, but manageable. As he crouched in his bowl, he couldn't help but look at the sleeping Gumball on the floor. It didn't feel right to Darwin that Gumball wasn't on his bed. Without Gumball to sleep next to, Darwin felt he couldn't do the same. He tried though, making weird faces and positioning himself sideways and crooked around in his bowl. After about fifteen minutes, Darwin just exhaled with exhaustion. "Forget this," he mumbled to himself. He got out of his bowl, splashing some water and making Anais turn his way below. She could see him starting to throw his shoes on.

"Darwin, what are you doing?" she said in a low dreary voice.

"I can't sleep knowing Gumball is not here." Anais gave him a confused look.

"What do you mean? He's right there on the floor." Darwin looked at her as he approached Gumball, bending down to put his fin out in front of his face.

"This is not Gumball, Anais." Gumball sniffed some and opened his eyes to the familiar smell. "This is just an animal; a stranger." He turned his back on her and waved his fin out to Gumball, slowly creeping back towards their bedroom door. The curiosity peaked the young cat as he got up and followed the walking fish.

"What are you doing, Darwin," she repeated before he reached the door. He opened it slightly to let Gumball out while he talked with Anais.

"I don't care if it takes me all night Anais. I'm going to get Gumball to walk on his own two feet so he will sleep normally." He closed the door behind him, leaving Anais alone in the dark bedroom.

Through the walls as Darwin walked away, she shouted at him "But Darwin, we have school tomorrow!" There was no answer as the fish and cat walked down the steps and into the first level of the house. The downstairs was completely quiet and dark. Nicole and Richard were in their bedrooms, preparing for bed like the others. Darwin could hear Mrs. Mom saying something from the other side of the door, but her voice was too muffled to make sense. He saw the leash hanging from the parent's bedroom door downstairs however. Continently out in the open, but Darwin realized he had to be very diligent. Darwin knew _one slight tap or clink on the knob, and they'll hear me touch it._ While Gumball waited patiently by the front door and watched Darwin, the fish was slowly reaching out. He carefully grabbed the fiber-knitted threading and, ever so softly and slowly, reached it up over the handle and brought it out and around. It was free from its holding, and not a sound was made. Darwin smiled at his success, but suddenly heard the knob being jiggled. He could hear his father's voice from the other side, slightly deeper through the door. While Richard was speaking, Darwin quickly grabbed Gumball and ducked in front of the couch.

"I'm just gonna grab a sandwich before I go to bed Nicole." The door swung open and the bedroom light stretched out into the living room. Darwin looked at Gumball, who stared almost annoyingly at the fish. The feral Gumball didn't like that he couldn't move much, and started to open his mouth. His teeth were in strike position, ready to fight the fish for freedom. Meanwhile, Darwin could hear his father opening the fridge while Mrs. Mom was responding to him.

"Just be sure you eat it outside our room this time," she followed with a quieter tone to her voice. "I don't feel like cleaning up breadcrumbs off the bed again." Richard said nothing, but Darwin felt like wanting to scream for help. He could see it in his brother's eyes; the same kind he had when he struck him before. Gumball quietly hissed at him for fair warning; _easily translatable to Darwin._

"hhheee" _Get off me, now…_ He had to think fast what to do. If Gumball bites him again, he knows he'll scream and get his parent's attention. Darwin didn't have long, and the clanking of metal and porcelain from the kitchen didn't help. Darwin could only think of one course of action as he held his arm and fin around his brother's body. He quickly dropped the leash to the carpet and used his other fin to pet Gumball's exposed neck. The sudden feeling of the fish's fin made Gumball jerk slightly, but kept him in place. He lowered his lips and relaxed his eyes and ears as the fish stroked his fur. It calmed him and comforted the blue beast of sorts. Darwin felt slightly disturbed, but _at least it's not as awkward as the licking earlier_ he thought to himself.

After what seemed like an eternity, Richard stepped out of the kitchen, calling out to his wife "Ok honey, now I'm coming to bed." He walked through the bedroom door and closed it behind him, making the living room dark once more. Darwin exhaled in relief and unwrapped himself from around Gumball, who was lying on Darwin's side as he was being petted. Darwin quickly stood up, grabbed the leash, hooked it around Gumball's neck, and made for the kitchen and out the back door. With Gumball from behind, they proceeded out and under the night sky. It was a clear night with all the stars above out and glowing. They stood out in the middle of the lawn. Gumball knelt back into a wolf-like stature while Darwin wrapped his end of the leash around his arm. He got from behind Gumball and slowly reached out around for his brothers arms.

"Ok Gumball," Darwin said confidently. Gumball kept his head straight, but looked behind at the fish as he spoke. "I want you to stand on your own two feet, got that? Oh, what am I saying; you can't talk. Well, let's just do it then." He shifted his weight as he pulled himself back with Gumball's arms in his grasp. He struggled at first, but Darwin got him up on his feet relatively fast. When he let go in excitement, his brother just collapsed to the ground again. Darwin gave him a heavy brow. "Let's try again." He copied his move, but no success. "Again," he said, but nothing. "Again." Nothing. "Again." Nothing. It continued over and over and over again. All that was heard was Darwin's voice and the repeated words in the distance.

Slowly, the sky transitioned to late dawn. Darwin could still be heard saying "Again.", but it was exhausting, slow, and almost unclear. The cat was still amazingly awake and nowhere near as tired looking as the fish was however. Darwin felt like wanting to collapse outside the yard as he kept grabbing Gumball's arm and trying to throw them into the air. He didn't have the strength to even keep them up anymore. Every time he grabbed the cat's arms, he just chucked them up and let his own fall back to himself. Finally, Darwin couldn't take it anymore and dropped (metaphorically) dead. He slammed his face straight into the dirt beside his brother. Gumball reacted by climbing atop the fish's back, circling over the orange hump, and went to sleep in his circular position. Gumball looked happy while sleeping; completely different from his other sibling. A voice came from behind the two-stacked creatures in the middle of the lawn.

"Guessing it didn't work." It was the sweet and small voice of Anais, who was holding a can of soda in one hand and her Daisy doll in the other. Darwin mumbled something into the dirt he was pressed into by Gumball. Anais sighed yet again at the simple ignorance that her brothers had for common sense and opened her can of soda. The soda was not for her, but for her brothers (mostly Darwin). She dumped it onto the both of them, making Gumball hiss and jump off in a frenzy at the sudden drench. Darwin soaked what there was into him, making him pull himself up suddenly.

"*GASP!* Thank you-I needed that," Darwin said happily and normal again. (It's a cartoon after all; gotta add some unreal humor to the mix)

"I figured you needed caffeine this morning." Anais dropped the can and went back to watching her blood sibling, prompting Darwin to do the same. He was licking himself all over his body, trying to absorb the sweet sticky mess off his clothing. Darwin looked back at Anais, who pulled out a ball of yarn from behind her and tossed in the air above her hand. "I also figured this might get him back in the house. Hey Gum-Ball." The cat looked up at her and saw the yarn bouncing in the bunny's hand. He bobbed his head up and down, wanting that colorful sphere more than anything at the moment. Without saying a word, she turned her body and threw it into the house, through the door and into the kitchen. Gumball took off after it on all fours like a dog, breezing past the two lesser creatures. Anais closed her eyes as she started walking back to the house behind her animal brother. "Always come prepared," she said prideful, but smug sounding. Darwin followed her into the house, talking as they went.

"I stayed up all night and nothing happened, Anais. I thought for sure he'd be walking by now."

"I'm honestly surprised you spent the entire night doing the same thing over and over again. A great man once said that was the definition of insanity." The two walked into the house, finding Gumball knocking the ball of yarn around in the kitchen. Every bump was followed by pouncing, spinning, and playing. They didn't really take notice of his smiling as he played with the ball.

"Is it really insane to want Gumball back?" Darwin whined.

"I honestly don't think it would have mattered Darwin. I figured he wouldn't start walking up right so soon." She stared away from Darwin and faced Daisy in her arm. "I'm scared he might not even walk right ever." Darwin nearly flipped, wanting to defend him more than anything. Alas, her logic was too powerful and sank Darwin's heart. He stood there with his mouth open and a fin raised with her back turned on him, but he couldn't find words to speak. He wanted to say _Of course he'll be walking right again,_ But what is she's right? _Oh _, what is she's right?!_ Before Darwin could look depressed, Nicole walked into the kitchen wearing a morning robe. She saw the kids standing by the fridge, except Gumball, who she saw was playing with yarn Her voice sounded dreary and tired like Darwin out back.

"*YAWN*… Morning kids," she said without facing them. She was making her way to the coffee maker, getting out a cup and pouring herself a glass. "I see you distracted your brother with a ball of yarn. *YAWN* Clever." She took a sip of her coffee, closing her eyes and letting the warmth of the joe sink sweetly down her throat and into her stomach. Her voice had half-returned to normal with the other half still dragging behind. "Ok guys, how about you get ready for school while I prepare some breakfast before work, and know that Gumball's going with you today." It took Darwin a while longer to realize the problem before Anais got it instantly.

"Uh, mom," she said sweetly, "are you sure that's a good idea? I don't think Gumball is right for school at the moment." Nicole turned around to get bowls and silverware out to set the table while answering her daughter.

"Look, I know Gumball might not seem civil for school yet, but he needs to be exposed to familiar people and settings. School is such a common thing that I think it'll do him some good to go back.

"But-"

"If anything goes wrong, I'm sure your dad can come and take care of it." Anais wanted to counter her argument, but she figured it was pointless to argue with her mom. Even if she answered logically, she'd just be overruled anyway. She huffed out of the room both upset and slightly annoyed. Darwin didn't get it, but did have a question.

"Uh, Mrs. Mom, how will Gumball, like, be kept in line?" Nicole was still setting the table when she answered the goldfish.

"Just use the leash, Darwin. I don't think your brother can feel embarrassed if he doesn't actually know he is." Darwin looked the playful Gumball as he twirled the yarn ball around. He seemed so happy and carefree looking, but Darwin couldn't stop feeling sorry for him. Something inside Darwin was crying out about the ordeal. It wasn't that Gumball was acting like an animal, but more like a pet… just like Darwin used to be. There was an emotional turmoil stewing up in Darwin, but he was clueless on how to deal with it. How can he smile when there's no optimism? How could he cry when Gumball was still sort-of here? Who could he possibly be angry at other than Gumball for doing this to himself? The last idea made Darwin think. _Am I angry at Gumball for leaving me like this? Or am I mad at myself for not dealing with this right?_ Darwin was heavy in thought. So much so that he didn't even hear his mom calling his name about cereal being set out and ready. Time must have flied however, because next thing Darwin knew, he saw Anais and Richard at the table eating, along with Gumball eating on the floor next to them. "Well, go eat something already, Darwin," Nicole practically ordered of him. He did as she told him and got to the table to eat. He poured some cereal into his bowl, sighed, and ate. He couldn't get his face to look even the slightest bit happy. Darwin was so lost, he felt like he couldn't face reality anymore; it was too cruel to him to accept.


	6. Z - Who is Gumball?

Time had gone by since the real Gumball was seen. The Gumball from the mind had experienced much pain, fear, and torture from Zach. Zach was seen pacing back and forth in the void of the darkness, holding what looked like a riding crop. He was speaking to what looked like a big, rectangular shadow that stood vertically up.

"I should really thank that patsy fish of yours for this weapon. It gets a point across quite well, don't you think?" There was a moaning of agony from the silhouette of the shape. Zach got frustrated quickly. "Answer me!", and he lashed the crop against it. From out of the shadow, a cry of pain was heard, inevitably Gumballs.

"AH-HA-HAAA. Yes! Yes, okay? It wor-hur-huuuurrrks." Into the light came a crying, sobbing Gumball, who had been beaten to a near bloody pulp. His left eye swollen and purple. His cheeks bloated from the swelling in his mouth. His long sleeve sweater now gone and replaced with lashes and burns across his body. He was tied down to the vertical table and unable to move, forced to deal with his agony. He was crying and couldn't stop to save his life, or in his case, come back to it. "Why Zach?" he exhaled from his mouth, "Why are you doing this?"

"I already told you why: I like it. I like watching you suffer. It brings me some joy to see you in pain. It's the same I've felt my entire existence." He threw the riding crop out to his side, landing on a silver table tray away from them. "What do you think we should go with next? The paint gun from your family outing, or the frying pan from when you tried to knock yourself out?" Gumball spitted and gave him a mercy reply.

"Zach… I'm begging you, please stop. I don't think I can take this anymore. I feel like I'm gonna pass out."

"That's just what you're suppose to think when you're in pain," Zach responded, deciding to go with a cheese grater and walking back to a strapped down Gumball. "Your just a self-created illusion of your own mind's design and can't actually die. The same goes for me too." He placed the grater on top of his chest, ready to start grinding his fur and skin off.

"But you haven't even told me why you hate me. This is too much to just be about that one time! Just tell me why we can't work this out." Zach held the grater over Gumball's body and kept it still as he followed up.

"You know why I hate you. You took my life; the life that I was suppose to have and not you." Gumball knew he had been beaten pretty badly, but he could've swore he heard Zach right.

"What are you talking about? I don't understand." Zach became infuriated.

"Yes you DO!", and shot the grater over Gumball. While Zach smiled with satisfaction, Gumball cried out in pain. The grater had stripped a long, horizontal section of his fur off, as well as some skin pieces. Little circles of blood were slowly pouring out across his torso as he was crying.

"I. Don't. Knooow. *GASP* I really don't." His sobbing was starting to get to Zach, but he was still too mad to just stop. He pulled out a rolling pin from behind him, something Gumball once thought of using when in the kitchen.

"You're lying to me. You have to know; you came from it!" He bashed the rolling pin against Gumball, propelling part of his tied up self forward. Gumball had screamed so much, he couldn't even cry in pain from the blunt object. He just muffled the word _umph_ as loud as he could. He was miserably over everything. He almost wished he could die so he no longer could feel his injuries, but like Zach said, he can't.

"Zach," Gumball whispered, too beaten to speak properly anymore. "If I did know…don't you think I'd have apologized by now?" Zach held the rolling pin over his shoulder like a baseball bat, facing Gumball and raising a brow at him. "Please Zach… you have to believe me… I can't remember." Zach was somewhat surprised.

"You really don't remember at all, do you?" Zach said to him bitterly. Gumball decided to shake his head. He no longer had the strength to even talk much anymore. Zach walked closer to Gumball and stood about a foot away from him and his face.

"I can't believe you. You did this to me, and you can't even remember how you did it. It makes me want to gouge your eyes in." Gumball panicked and shook his head no even faster than the first. Zach's eyes narrowed in disgust, and he dropped the cooking tool down on the floor. It disappeared almost immediately.

"Fine. You really want me to tell you why I hate you for so much more than the one time I came back?" Gumball, yet again, shook his head, but up and down this time. Zach turned away from Gumball and faced the darkness in the distance.

"It's because you robbed me of my life, Gumball," Zach started off. "You were never actually born; I was. The birth certificate that was given to me, or technically us, had my name on it. I was born 'Zach', and I lived life as I was, but then you came along and took it. You took my life away from me, and I was too weak at the time to fight it." Gumball mumbled out the words through his swollen cheeks.

"Wha does tha evan main?" Zach suppressed his paws into a fist of anger. He shot himself around and pointed a finger at Gumball, crying out at him in accusation.

"YOU are the alternate personality Gumball, not me!" He lowered himself as Gumball became shocked at the news. "That's right. You were the creation of something Richard playfully called me." Gumball found it weird to hear a form of himself call his dad by his name. To him, it was like he said it.

"You main daaad?" He asked him. Zach instantly shot up his fist and punched Gumball across one of his cheeks.

"You don't have the right to call him that, you hear me?! Only I should be allowed to call him that, but I choose not to." He turned his back on Gumball again. "What kind of father kills his own son?" There were a few seconds of silence, as Gumball was in too much pain to answer him.

"It started out as a joke to him, back when I was just a baby. I remember I used to love gum. I ate it every chance I got because it satisfied me. The flavors, the chewiness, it was just sublime to me. Then one day, daaa-aad comes home with a whole bag of gumballs; a present for me. I remember as I was chewing on them, he said jokingly that I was 'his little Gumball', probably because I was so small, sweet, and soft as a baby." Gumball managed to mumble something out at Zach.

"Wha does tha hav to do mit me?" Zach refused to look at Gumball, still facing the darkness. He narrowed his eyes to only a couple centimeters open. The more Gumball mumbled, the more enraged Zach became with him.

"Babies don't develop a full sense of personality, Gumball. Despite that I was aware of the world, my character was not proclaimed. When that nickname came along, it was all Richard and Nicole ever called me and whether I liked it or not, I couldn't tell them to stop. Somewhere along my growth, I was pushed further away from reality to make room for you, the 'Gumball' everyone came to know. That's why when I made my return, I made Richard sign away his rights as a man. Figured it was fair since he gave away my right to a life." He finally turned to face Gumball, and slowly walked towards him.

"I know it's not ALL your fault. You are just the product of something that was never meant to be. Its MY parents that deserve to be in pain like you. Unfortunately, this is the best I can deal with at the moment. I thought you knew all this though." Gumball tried to say something, but Zach didn't quite get it this time.

"What?" he asked stubbornly. Gumball tried again, but it didn't work. Zach sighed in irritation and snapped his fingers, which completely restored Gumball back to his original healthy self. All the cuts, bruises, blood, and swelling had instantly disappeared. Gumball took a deep breath at the sudden relief Zach mercifully bestowed back to him and finished his thought.

"I saaaiiid: I don't remember any of that!"

"If you came from the memory, then I thought, surly, you must know where you came from." Gumball turned away from Zach and cried out as loud as he could with his reformed voice.

"I don't believe you! I am Gumball, and always was!"

"It's the fact! I was born; you are a manifestation of me!"

"No! No, that's impossible!"

"Look at me Gumball. You know it to be true." Gumball did as he was instructed and slowly turned to face him. "Free me, and let me rule the body as the controller I was." Gumball was silent as he stared into Zach's narrow eyes, thinking deeply about what to say.

"I'll never free you. Even if what you're saying is true, you don't deserve to go back, Zach. Your selfish, narcissistic, and don't respect anyone but yourself. If anything, my dad did the world a favor destroying you." He dared to give a smile at Zach, unleashing the beast within him. Zach became so aggravated, a loud whistling sound could be heard echo through the blackness of the mind. _Pewwww_ went the sound.

Gumball looked around him and asked Zach "What's that noise?" All Zach did was point up above him, prompting Gumball to look and suddenly freak out. "AAHHHH-" was the noise he made up until an Anvil landed right atop of his body. It crushed him like a pancake and destroyed the table he was held on into a thousand pierces. Zach walked over to the landing zone and picked it up with one hand like it was nothing. Gumball looked just like a blue pancake with his tale pressed up to his head, and his face staring straight up. Zach suddenly imagined a spatula and pried Gumball off the ground with it.

"Watch your tongue if you know what's good for ya." Zach said with a smug smile on his face. Gumball couldn't respond. He was in too much pain to say anything, but Zach's next words worried Gumball greatly. "What should we do next?" He walked away further into the darkness with a flattened out Gumball on a spatula in his hand, and threw the anvil away from behind him. As he walked away, many beams of light similar to the one before shot out of the darkness and straight into the air. They travelled down along the blue cylinder coiling one by one until they reached the back of an eyeball. From the other side, zooming further out, is the head of the blue feral animal. With a leash around his neck, he looks all around at the strangers around him. First on a bus while sitting next to Darwin, then in school as he's led down a hall.


	7. Is That Really Necessary?

Still making the same face he was at the table, the background was cutted away to his school hall. He looked down at the ground as he walked with Gumball, who still on all fours with a leash and collar around his neck. While Darwin refused to face anyone, Gumball was looking in every direction around him as many of his classmates.

"This is so awkward," Darwin whimpered to himself. "This is so wrong. Awkward, awkward, awkward." Darwin couldn't stop feeling embarrassed as he was quite literally walking Gumball down the school hall, and everyone took notice alright. Some looked at each other in confusion, like Alan and Carmen, while others were approaching Darwin from all sides of the hall, like Tobias, Carrie, BJ and Penny.

"Hey Darwin," cried out Tobias, "What is this all about?" Then came Teri from the back.

"Yeah, what's going on with Gumball?" BJ followed up.

"Is this a joke? 'Cause I don't get it." The circle of peers made him nervous, but he did his best to speak up. Gumball just looked around and watched everybody from the floor's view.

"Uhh, well-uh, I mean-I-uhh…" He couldn't find the words to speak up, or at least until Penny stepped in.

"Are you ok, Darwin?" she asked very concerned for his well being. Despite that Gumball was the one in trouble, Darwin felt enlightened to know Penny cared how he was too. It gave him the strength to clear himself.

"Uh, guys… Gumball is, oh how do I put this… he's not himself right now." From up above, Masami came into the circle and spoke out.

"What does that mean?" Darwin swallowed, but inhaled deep and continued on.

"Well everyone…Gumball is unable to talk or walk right. In fact, he had an accident that has… incapacitated his civility." Only Tobias had the nerve to continue.

"So what? Does that mean he's an animal or something?" Darwin suddenly remembered that it was Tobias's dare that caused the accident to happen. He got mad at him, pointing while calling him out to everyone.

"Yeah Tobias, that's right, and it's your fault!"

"What? How is it my fault?"

"You're the one who dared Gumball to jump off our house. He knocked his head so hard, he's acting without thought. The doctor's said he's become what's called a feral!" Within the crowd, a few students started mumbling to each other. Banana Joe decided to ask aloud.

"Uh, Darwin, what's a feral?" Carrie floated over everyone and into the center of the circle. She went out to Darwin's side while facing Banana Joe and answered him in her monotone, depressing voice.

"It's a word to describe animals that once acted civilized, but revert back to an untrained state of mind. What Darwin's trying to say is that: that over there is not Gumball; just a big cat." She pointed to him, catching his attention while everyone looked at him. The sight of Carrie made Gumball hiss at her. He could feel her spiritual presence, and it made him defensive. He stood up all fours, rose his back and legs up, and jumped for Carrie. He flew for only a couple seconds, going right through Carrie and pounced Tobias instead. Carrie didn't even flinch when Gumball passed through, but Darwin did when he jumped back to the side with his leash still in hand. While Tobias was starting to panic, crying out to everyone around him to get Gumball away, the blue cat raised his head up. He opened his mouth and revealed his fangs, ready to sink them straight into the colorful cloud child. Tobias looked right into his cat eyes and saw fear shooting down at him. He looked hungry, or angry, but either way, Tobias was frozen in place. Just as Gumball was about to pull himself down, Darwin yanked Gumball's chain and pulled him off. Gumball whined out at the yank.

"NO Gumball, bad-bad kitty." Darwin said as he finger pointed at his brother. Gumball looked at orange fish and hissed out at him in disgust. "Just stay. Staaay." Darwin extended his right fin out to Gumball's neck and started petting it. The cat did not smile, but remained in place and still, looking back at Tobias as he was pulling himself up.

"Your brother's a psychopath!" Tobias said, dusting himself up off the ground. Gumball caught onto the negativity and whined with Darwin coming up behind the feline's response.

"He's not a psycho. He just doesn't know better, and you consider yourself lucky I didn't let him bite you. He did it to me twice."

"Where are your bandages then, Darwin?" Carrie asked him.

"I threw them away this morning. I'm fine now." He got down to knee level with Gumball and settled him down. Gumball couldn't help but feel threatened by everyone around him. He gave them all dirty looks, worrying some of his friends, but not everyone. Joining Carrie, Gumball, and Darwin, Sarah came from out of the crowd and tried to observe Gumball.

"It really is weird that he thinks he's an animal now." She bent down more to look closely at Gumball's face. His eyes narrowed the closer she got to him. "I wonder if he-"

"RAANNN" Gumball roared out as he jumped Sarah's face. He wrapped hold around her while Darwin was struggling to get him down. All the fish could do was shout at Gumball to stop while Sarah was crying out. Because Sarah moved too much, Darwin lost grip of the leash as she went turning in circles around everyone. The crowd instantly spread out, some running away in panic while others just watched. Darwin chased after Sarah and Gumball, crying out to her to try and stay calm. (Of course) She did not listen as Gumball was biting and trying to claw at her. Being that she was made of ice cream, it did not hurt, but she was in so much shock from the jump that she couldn't stop panicking, waving her arms and shouting for Gumball to get off.

"Sarah, just stop!" Darwin shouted at her from across the hall.

"I can't," she replied with Gumball crawling all over her face. "He's too eccentric to make me calm down." Before she or Darwin knew it, Mrs. Simian came out of her classroom to see what the shouting was.

"What's going on out here?" she pronounced with great anger and disappointment in the kids. Gumball instantly shot his teacher a look and jumped off Sarah, grabbing hold of Mrs. Simian.

"HEY! What the-." Gumball was on her and refused to let go of her face too.

"Mrs. Simian, please don't panic!" Darwin called out to her. Sarah fell to the floor in exhaustion, but continued to look up at the student-teacher brawl with her head detached from her cone body.

"Get off of me this instant!" Mrs. Simian muffled under Gumball's body. He hissed at her like he did everyone and bit down on her bald, white head. His teeth shot a pain through her that stung, but did not hurt too much.

"DA-Haha." She grabbed hold of Gumball and finally pried him off of her face. She held him by the neck sleeve on his shirt and gave him a look of distaste that matched his own. "What is wrong with you, Waterson?!" He glared at her with his narrow cat eyes and tried best he could to claw at her. Waving his arms up and down, her arm length was too far for his to reach. He once more cried out at her, completely confusing her…up until Darwin caught up to the spectacle.

"Mrs. Simian," Darwin huffed, slightly exhausted from the chasing. "Please don't be mad at Gumball. He literally can't help it."

"What are you talking about? He assaulted a teacher. That's punishable by expulsion!" The words made Darwin tremble with fear.

"Mrs. Simian, please. Gumball was in an accident, and he doesn't know how to behave. He thinks he's an animal because he is. He doesn't know how to act, but he can't help it." She turned her attention away from the fish and back on Gumball, still looking at her with such contempt.

"Yesss… I see it in his eyes alright. Those aren't normal looking." She was silent for a short while. "I think this is something for Principal Brown to deal with." She started walking towards his office, still holding Gumball by his sleeve. Darwin followed her, wanting to say something, but couldn't figure out how to stop her. He decided to remain quiet, following his teacher to the office.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Principal Brown started off, "You're telling me that Gumball jumped off his house and hit his head so hard that he now thinks he's a real cat?" In front of him were Darwin and Richard, who were sitting in the two seats in front of Mr. Brown's desk. Mrs. Simian was standing to the side of the desk facing everyone over herself, with Gumball kneeling on the floor beside her. He faced anyone who was talking while the conversation hit off.

"A-ha ha, well uh, you see Principal Brown," Richard said nervously, "I know it sounds crazy and all, but Gumball's not a danger to anyone." Mrs. Simian slammed her fists on her boyfriend's desk in anger as she cried out at the father.

"Not a danger? He bit me on the head just for seeing what was going on in the halls!" Darwin mumbled quietly to himself.

"You're not the only one".

"What was that?" she said looking at the fish. Darwin instantly went from irritated to scared.

"Nothing." he said nervously. She narrowed her eyes at him, but went back to the father.

"Your son attacked me, Mr. Waterson, and according to the school policy: any child who violates or hurts a teacher or staff of Elmore Jr. High must be expelled. Tell him, Nigel." She gave Principal Brown a stern look, making him slightly uncomfortable. If there was one thing Nigel Brown didn't like about his girlfriend, it was how demanding she was of her views and the school policies. He grabbed his glasses and re-elevated them up on his eyes. He focused his attention back on the parent.

"Mrs. Simian does raise a fair point, but on the other hand, if what you're saying about Gumball is true, then he's not entirely at fault here. You wouldn't happen to have medical papers that prove what you're telling me is true, do you?" Richard suddenly lit up in excitement.

"As a matter of fact, I do." He reached into his shirt and pulled a pile of papers, all neatly bounded in a paperclip and stuck together with sweat. He held the paper up across the desk, which Mr. Brown was hesitant to grab hold of, seeing the sweat drops run down one of the bottom corners. He pinched the papers from the top with two fingers and laid it down on his desk. On top, there was a yellow post-it note with Nicole's handwriting. It said _Bring to school if called_. He looked up at Richard with a raised eyebrow, making him smile nervously. He couldn't believe that he needed his wife to write a note like that, but even more annoyed about the salty water drenched on the paper. Nigel rolled his eyes and went on to look over the paper, humming _yeahs_ and _uh-huhs_ as he scrolled down it. After a few seconds, he looked up at the family.

"Well this does seem to check out, but I am afraid that since Gumball is not acting appropriately, I am going to have to suspend him until he's corrected." Before Richard could say anything, Mrs. Simian let her temper out once more.

"Are you kidding me? He should be expelled; expel him this instant! You don't know how long I've wanted this for." Mr. Brown put his hand over her right fist and talked in the most calming, charismatic tone he could.

"Sweety, I know you want him expelled, but it wouldn't be fair. Besides, I'm sure Gumball must be suffering right now in his head even worse than any punishment we could give him." She turned her attention away from him and looked at Gumball. His eyes were not as narrow as before; more opened and innocent looking as he stared up at Mrs. Simian. Her breathing started to lower. "Can you really do such a thing to this poor child… or should I say, animal?" he finished off. As she looked into the young cat's eyes, those pointed, diamond shapes really hit her hard. She actually felt something she had not felt about Gumball in her whole life. She could only guess it was pity. She sighed in submission to her boyfriend's logic.

"Ohh, you're right Nigel. I can't stay mad at him like this." He got up out of his seat and came to her side, holding his other arm around her shoulder.

"Tell you what: when Gumball is all sane again, I'll give you the honor of putting him in detention. Sound good?" His offer brought a smile to her face.

"Oh, you know me too well my hairy man." They exchanged sweet looks and smiles at each other that sickened Darwin as he watched and made Richard uncomfortable. Gumball tilted his head slightly at the display of affection. The blue feline had the feeling he had seen this kind of behavior before, but not often enough to bring much back. Richard had finally had enough and gave in to get out.

"Well, I can see you guys make a fair case. I'll just take him home and, uhh…yeah." He could tell they weren't paying attention and grabbed Gumball as fast as he could. He slowly walked backwards out the office door, turning the knob and making a bolt to his car with Gumball wrapped around him. Darwin walked out behind, but did not follow. Before he could figure out where to go, he was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Darwin." It was sweet, caring, and almost angelic to hear. He knew all to well when he turned around that it was Penny Fitzgerald. She ran up to Darwin as he came out of the office and looked worried. "Is Gumball alright? Did he get in trouble?" Darwin answered her in the most depressing tone she had ever heard him speak.

"He got suspended, Penny." She instantly became terrified.

"Really? I…I can't believe this."

"I tried telling them it wasn't his fault, but they said it didn't matter." For as bright as Penny was since she got rid of her shell, she couldn't help but feel the worst sense of sadness coming onto her.

"Will he even be alright? Is he ever coming back?"

"Principal Brown said he could when he's himself again." Penny shook her head back and forth in disagreement.

"No-no-no, I mean, is Gumball ever going to be back to himself?" Darwin didn't know how to answer. He wanted to say yes more than anything in the world, but given what's happened since the incident, it seemed pointless. He couldn't bring himself to say yes. Somewhere in his head, he knew it was wrong; it would feel like a lie to him. He begrudgingly tackled himself mentally to say what had to be told.

"I don't know Penny." He started tearing, quickly wiping it away from his closed eyes. "I really hope so, but I don't know." His voice sounded so upsetting that Penny almost couldn't control herself either. She felt like wanting to cry like Darwin, but he was more sensitive than her and held herself back. The situation was horrible for everyone, and Penny was included. Gumball was her boyfriend after all, and now, she felt like he was gone. The kind of disappearance where someone had died.

"This... this can't be possible. Please Darwin, tell me he'll get better. I need to know." She put her hands on his shoulders and shook him back, forcing his head to face up at her. He could see that she was just as upset as he was about the ordeal. He wanted to tell her he was okay, but he had finally lost it. Looking at how sorry she was had destroyed his hope entirely. His optimism had finally been defeated through the eyes of a sad fairy-creature.

"I can't!" Darwin whaled, covering his eyes to face her no more. "I ca-han-han-han-haaant." Darwin turned around and ran away in shame, crying and whining down the hall. He left Penny all alone with the truth. The thought that she would never see her actual boyfriend ever again. All she did was sob in fear, pity, and loneliness.

Darwin had to go the rest of the day in school alone, not talking or looking at anyone. He was making his typical puckered lip expression, feeling nothing but despair in his wake. He was at his desk, in the cafeteria, and on the bus, not breaking his look, even when getting off. It was not until he stepped through the door of his house, with Anais coming alongside him, that he looked up and found something scary. He could see his Nicole and Richard sitting at the table with Gumball plopped on a chair (still on all fours). Anais and Darwin looked at each other in dread of what this was, and they knew it couldn't be good as they took seats around the table. This was going to be one of the tensest moments the family might ever have, and they all knew it as they came out to each other. The only one spared of such tension was Gumball, and ironic enough, it was all about him.


	8. Between the Devil & the Deep Pink Seas

"Mom, dad, what's going on here?" Anais asked. Nicole and Richard glanced at each other.

"Honey," Nicole said softly, "your father and I wanted to ask you something very important." She was silent for a couple seconds. "Have you or Darwin seen any kind of improvement or changes in Gumball?" Anais and Darwin both looked at each other nervously, but she answered them.

"What, uh, makes you ask?" She gave them a very awkward looking smile, trying her best to look happy to them.

"Well, let's just say that: your father and I have some… opposing ideas about Gumball." Darwin suddenly blurted out at them.

"You're not gonna send him away to that place are you?!" Anais was stunned that Darwin just spilled the idea, and Nicole and Richard's eyes' darted right up. Nicole got defensive and tried to talk as sweetly as possible to him.

"What are you talking about Darwin? That's crazy." She threw up a big smile like Anais had, but Darwin wasn't gonna be tricked again.

"Don't lie to us, Mrs. Mom. Anais and I know." Nicole stayed on the defensive.

"About what?" Before Darwin could continue, Anais spoke up, but not as loud or dramatic as her adoptive brother did.

"About the Elmore Correction Center, and before you say that you don't know what that is, we know you know." Nicole's smile instantly dropped while Richard just got worried.

"But how is that possible? You were in Gumball's room at the hospital when that conversation happened." Anais lowered her brow at her mom.

"I found the pamphlet, Mom. The one in dad's pants." Richard started to sweat some with Nicole going unnoticed.

"That doesn't sound right. I mean, there was a pamphlet, but your father and I refused to take it. How's that possible?" Anais just got annoyed at this point, actually believing her mom was trying to lie more.

"Oh, you don't believe me? Give me a second." She pushed herself out of her chair and walked out of the dining room and up the stairs. For only a few seconds was she gone, having return with the ad in hand. She jumped back up and threw it out on the table for her parent's to behold. One of Nicole's eyebrows went up and her mouth to the side. She couldn't understand how Anais grabbed hold of it. Richard on the other hand just tugged at his shirt, scared of what his wife was going to say. She turned her head and gave Richard a nasty look. She narrowed her eyelids to almost near slits. The feral Gumball instinctively copied her and narrowed his eyes at his father.

"Richard," she said through her teeth in a very deep manner. "Did you take this without telling me?" He looked scared as could be, but spoke up for his protection.

"I was told to by the doctor, Nicole. He offered it to me like a gift. I couldn't say no to him; you know I have a hard time saying no." Nicole pulled out her claws from underneath the table as she stared at him angrily. Somehow, Gumball sensed the extension and revealed his fangs. He was ready to strike at his mother's command.

"And why didn't you tell me?" Nicole went on, but even deeper and darker than before, like a demon would. Richard started shaking while the children just watched in fear.

"Because… because…"

"Because why?" she said demonically. She shot a straight dose of fear into Richard so powerful, it shook loose the truth from within. At the top of his lungs, he shouted (yes, shouted) at his wife, Nicole.

BECAUSE HE NEEDS THE-HEE-HEE-HEEEM! HE NEEDS REAL HELP, NICOLE! HE DOOEEESS!" Richard pulled his hands into his face and started crying into his paws. Nicole's evil stare was instantly retracted to shock, with Gumball copycatting her response. Richard cried on for a short while, but with snot coming from his nose, he looked up at his wife bawling like a baby.

"I'm sorry, Nicole. *Sniffle* I really am." He wiped away the runny mess from his face. "But I can't hide it anymooorre. *Sniffle* I thought we could help him sweetie; I really did. But look at him." He waved his arms out between Gumball's head, pulling Nicole's focus on her son. "That's not our son, Nicole, and that's the truth."

"I never thought I would say this in my life, but dad's right, mom" Ansis spoke out. She pulled herself up from her chair and onto the table, walking across to her father's side. "I want to believe that Gumball is still here too, but I can't ignore facts. I'm with dad on this mom. I think it's best if-"

"Absolutely not!" she cried out at the two bunnies. "I don't care what you guys think. I know my own son, and he is sitting right there in that chair. Sure, he might act different, but I know Gumball is in there, and I refuse to think otherwise."

"Mrs. Mom is right." Darwin spoke as he stood up on his chair. "I care about Gumball too much to lose him, Mr. Dad and Anais."

"But Darwin-"

"I don't wanna hear it, Anais. Gumball is my brother, and maybe he is gone in a sense, but when I was gone, he never gave up on me, and I'm not gonna do the same."

"Atta boy, Darwin" Nicole said with her fist raising high in admiration. She walked across the table and stood by Darwin's side, leaving Gumball between the two sides. He simply turned his head back and forth between each one's debate.

"Mom, just look at Gumball. He's not even able to walk on his own two feet."

"He'll come to learn it eventually. We just have to give him time."

"Time to do what, Nicole?" Richard said, reaching for the pamphlet on the table. "Waste it when there are experts who can help him?" He pointed at it.

"I don't care if anyone there graduated from the best university in the whole galaxy. I won't let them take my son away."

"But it could be years before we would even come close to getting him back, Mom. At least there he has a chance of being who he was faster than we could."

"Gumball is family Anais, and Mrs. Mom and I love him too much to give him up to other people."

"But Darwin," Richard said sadly, "Your brother never used to bite you." Anais budged in after him.

"Why don't you tell mom and dad what you did with Gumball last night?" Nicole looked down at Darwin.

"Darwin, what does your sister mean by that?" Darwin remained silent and didn't answer, fearing the worst from anybody. Anais finally said it for him.

"He spent literally all night trying to get Gumball to stand up. That's right. He spent more than eight hours trying to get Gumball on his own two feet, and failed. Just imagine how long it will take for him to learn silverware?" Nicole spoke out.

"Your brother has been improving though. He no longer bites Darwin, he doesn't act up when I tell him to stop-"

"Yeah mom, but those are all interactions with us; people. I'm talking about non-family issues, like walking, eating, and talking. Speaking will probably be years from now. Just imagine how much faster he could learn if he was sent away?" She looked at Darwin from across the table. "Darwin, you don't want to spend night after night like you did the last, do you?" Darwin thought about her words for a second, but his pathos was stronger than Anais's logos.

"Gumball will be alright, Anais. Me and Mrs. Mom know that. Why can't you?" Anais gave her brother a big eye stare as she started to tear up.

"I do care about him, Darwin. I care enough to give him the help he needs." As Darwin stared down the barrel of her eyes, he could finally see her reasoning. He started to tear up as well, and did what had to be done. He took a deep breath, stepped off his stool, and walked to the bunnies. He left Nicole all alone as he slowly moped past Gumball.

"Darwin!" Nicole cried out in disbelief. When he reached his other family, he turned and faced his mom. It was harder for him to go up against Nicole than anyone else, and he could feel her disownment burning through her eyes. It made Darwin start to cry in shame.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Mom," he sobbed, "But they ARE right. We can't help Gumball. We're out of our league here." He put his head down and faced the floor, unable to face her. The only comfort he received was Richard's paw on his shoulder, who smiled down at Darwin for his bravery.

"It doesn't have to be like that" Nicole said. "I'll use money from our savings to get Richard training. He can teach Gumball while I'm at work, and I'll pull more hours to make the difference."

"Mom."

"I'll just drink nothing but coffee, take anti-sleeping pills like truckers do."

"But mom."

"I'll even inject steroids into my body to make me work harder-I'm sure I could find someone willing to sell them to me-"

"Nicole, stop right now!"

"I'll do anything to keep my son!" She reached out and grabbed Gumball around his waist, holding him up over her shoulders. "You can't take him away from me. He's my baby!" She pulled her head down into Gumball and started crying, refusing to face her family. "I love him too much to let him go." She felt betrayed by all of them and couldn't stand to look at their faces. She couldn't even hear them stepping towards her in all of her crying. Richard extended out his arms and grabbed hold of Nicole's shoulders as a sign of sorrow. Anais looked up her wrecked mother.

"Mom," she said soft enough to pull her mom's attention towards her on the ground. "If you truly love Gumball… then you need to let go." Nicole pulled Gumball away from her shoulders and looked him in his cat eyes as Anais went on. "You can make him better faster, and that's what he needs: help, not love." Gumball's eyes looked so pure and innocent to Nicole as she held her son up to her. They were so big and needy that they shattered her heart from the inside.

"Honey, please," Richard said softly to her from behind. "Just give him to me. It's for the best." She turned to face her husband with a face so sad, he felt sorrier for his wife than Gumball for the moment. He could see just how horrible he felt having to make her let go. She didn't want to, but she handed him over to Richard. The second Richard held him, he tucked his son into his chest and stroked his neck, soothing Gumball to purr and smile. Now that the big animal was sweet, Gumball felt more comfy with him. Richard continued to face his wife's horribly depressed face. "I guess we should go start the car, huh?" Nicole sniffled and nodded her head yes. Everyone except Darwin started walking in the direction of the door.

"Wait," Darwin shouted out at everyone. They turned to face the fish in distress. "I think we should call Penny and ask if she wants to come as well. She loved Gumball just as much as us, and she'll probably want to say good bye also." Nicole and Richard looked at each other and figured why not.

"Okay, Darwin," Nicole said in somber, beginning to cry again. "Go ahead and call her. We'll get Gumball…*sniffle* red-ee-a-ha-ha-ha-haaaaa." She buried her paws into her face like Richard had while being escorted away with Anais and Richard to the door. Gumball still wrapped in Richard's arms, he practically had fallen asleep on his bed of fat. Darwin turned his back on everyone and picked the phone up off the wall. He started dialing penny's number, then pressed it against his phone. He breathed in deeply as the phone was connecting. From Penny's end, the ringing had stopped when she finally picked up the phone.

"Hello," she said softly. Darwin couldn't tell how she felt. Was it depressed? Sleepy? He figured it was best to not know. He tried to match her level of volume, but couldn't get rid of his melancholy.

"Hey Penny, its Darwin." Penny's eyes dilated almost immediately, terrified that it was both him, and he sounded horrible.

"Darwin? Why… why are you calling?"

"I'm calling to let you that..." He took a deep breath one more time for strength. "If you want to say good-bye to Gumball, we're heading to the Elmore Correctional Center for unstable people." Penny shot her left arm over her mouth and nearly gasped.

"Oh no. What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that we've given up, Penny. Gumball needs help from professionals, so were taking him somewhere to get better quicker. It might be years before he'll be himself again, so if you want to tell him good-bye, that's where we'll be." Darwin couldn't see it from her end, but she was beginning to tear up. The news was devastating.

"Darwin, please! You can't give up. I don't want him to go away."

"Neither do we Penny, believe me. But we can't make him better. At least we'll still get to see him every now and again.

"But Darwin-" He finally couldn't take anymore of her complaining. He didn't want her trying to change his mind against his family.

"There's nothing left to do! Either meet us there or don't show up, Penny. That's it, so make up your mind. Good bye," and with that, he hung up the phone in a bitter rage. He didn't like that he had to get mean with her, but he felt like she was the one being mean to him. _This is what Gumball needs_ he thought to himself. _To try and keep him here is selfish of us. We need Gumball, but he needs to be himself more. Penny has to realize that._ He approached the others, who had strapped Gumball's leash on and opened the door. Unknown to the entire family, the weather had shifted. The beautiful sun and blue sky was now cloudy and gray. It blanketed all of Elmore in a sea of gloom and took its toll on everyone. From the distance, thunder could be heard, but it wasn't close to the Waterson house.

"Are you ready, Darwin?" Anais asked. He nodded to her in agreement and started walking out the door and ahead of the rest. Darwin didn't feel like looking at anyone as he walked to the car, for he was so depressed that he felt looking at anyone else's would only further his own. With Nicole holding the leash to Gumball, the whole family walked out of the house and into their station wagon. The thundery sky rumbled as they entered their car; a sign to the beginning of the end. Nicole was too upset to drive, and so Richard sat in the driver seat, turning the car on and pulling out of the driveway. Everyone's expressions had a different sense of despair to them. Nicole and Darwin's eyes were big and glossy, but Nicole had her face buried into her paws while Darwin just rested his head on the side of his seat. Anais looked down at the floor and sighed, closing her eyes and wishing that this didn't have to happen. Because Richard was driving, he could do nothing other than frown in misery. The car was so heavy in atmosphere that even Gumball, who sat dead center in the back seat, could pick up on everybody's feelings and followed. Through his horizontal diamond shaped cat eyes, he looked down at the floor with Anais, but kept them open with his ears dropped down. The feral creature figured something bad was going to happen, but it was impossible to say what. With every mile the car drove, the skies only looked to get louder and darker. Dismal was al Elmore had in this coming of the night; It seemed all hope in Elmore was evaporated away, especially for the Watersons.


	9. Gray Skies & Blue Eyes

The building for diseased minds of Elmore was only a parking lot away. By time the Waterson family had made it, the storm had progressed greatly. Lightning shot around the building as the family pulled into a parking space about 50 feet away. Thunder rumbled every which way when they all opened their doors with terrible difficulty. Nobody wanted out but Gumball, who was shaking and frightful of the storm. Every flash of lightning made him spasm and the thunder shook him more than tires on a gravel road. If not for all his movement and lashing out, Darwin and Anais wouldn't have forced themselves out so easily. Though the second he got out, the rain only made him run every which way. Darwin had the leash at the time and was unable to keep himself steady.

"Dah! I can't hold him down," Darwin said as he was being yanked in every direction under the rain. Nicole quickly shot her door open and grabbed hold of the leash from Darwin's fin. She wrapped it around one wrist and yanked Gumball slightly. He instantly stopped and looked back at his mom. Realizing it was her, he obediently walked to her side and proceeded to follow her and Richard towards the building. Nicole no longer looked as sad as she was before, but more irritated. It was like she was trying to hide all her sadness behind her stern, angry eyes. Anais and Darwin lagged behind a few paces so they could talk.

"Darwin," Anais started off, "how you holding up?" He didn't answer right away, needing a moment to think about his feelings.

"I feel like I'm barely holding on. I don't want to do this to him, Anais. I don't want him to go, but… I know it's the right thing to do." His voice became squeaky on his last sentence. "Even if I'll be alone." Tears were starting to form, and so Anais did her best to comfort him.

"We'll still get to see him every now and again, Darwin. Who knows? Maybe he'll be alright by next week, or the end of the month." As encouraging as her words were, Darwin felt it was unrealistic. He knew it would take longer than that, but decided to support his sister none the less.

"Yeah," he said with as best a smile he could pull from his face. "Maybe."

* * *

At the front pull up of the building, the car of Penny's father could be seen. Inside, Mr. Fitzgerald pulled the car into park while Penny, who was up at the passenger seat with him, looked to him for comfort. "Dad," she said to him, resulting in his attention, "Don't you want to come in with me?" Penny's father curled the top of his shell holes and gave her his answer.

"Penny," he calmly spoke, "I know Gumball meant a lot to you, but if what you told me about him is true, I can't. I know he's a good kid, but it's my job as a father to dislike and question the guys you meet. If I have to look at him, I'll feel sorry and pity for him, and I like my relationship with him as it stands." Penny just lowered her eyes and gave her father a despicable look. He knew she would act out against his logic, but he pressed on anyway. "I just can't give him the benefit of the doubt or he'll win… even if he doesn't know it." Her daughter rolled her eyes at him and opened her door. A rumble of thunder echoed at the very instant it widened.

"You really disappoint me, dad. I thought you'd be better than that." Before he could counter, she got out and closed the car door to leave him alone. While Penny walked along the sidewalk of the entrance, he pulled out a newspaper and began to read it, hiding a frown behind the papers. About fifty feet away from the front slider doors of the big white building, she could see the Waterson family approaching. She couldn't get rid of the frown on her face when she noticed Gumball on his four feet. She felt like wanting to cry, but held back as they approached near her. She wanted to look strong for them; that, and the last thing she wanted was to shape shift by mistake.

* * *

"Looks like Penny showed up." Anais said to Darwin, nudging him some to get him to turn and face her. Richard and Nicole said nothing as they approached the building. They could see Penny, but didn't feel like talking. The closer they got, the worst they became inside. They both glanced at each other after they saw Penny in the distance, who waved to them to show she made it. All they could see in each other was shame that they couldn't help their son. To them, this building felt like a death sentence, or more specifically, the death of a family.

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Waterson," Penny said with a farced smile on her face. Nicole opened her mouth to respond, but didn't have the strength to even speak. She pushed her head down and continued into the building with Richard and Gumball. Penny caught a glimpse of him below, but the second his cat shaped eyes looked at her, she realized she couldn't. She decided to direct her attention to Darwin and Anais, but Anais didn't feel like being a part of their awkward meet up.

"I'm gonna go in with mom and dad." She said quietly. Penny and Darwin could tell that she was more upset than she appeared, but conversed with each other. Darwin was slightly nervous when he spoke up first, rubbing the back of his bald head.

"Uhh… hi Penny," he said so nervously that it sounded more like a question to her. She narrowed her eyes slightly at Darwin.

"You know, I'm pretty upset with you, Darwin. I didn't like how you just shouted at me over the phone." Her face started to turn red as she looked down at him. He could tell she was getting mad.

"Look," he fearfully spoke, "I do apologize for my tone over the phone, Penny. It's just that it was difficult for me to agree with this and I don't want anyone to change my mind, and that's what it sounded like over the phone is all." He rubbed the side of his arm and looked away from her shamefully. The red in Penny's face slowly receded away as she spoke.

"Maybe I didn't respect your choice and all, but it doesn't feel right to me." They both turned in the direction of the automatic sliding doors and proceeded on in. Darwin looked up to face Penny.

"I feel the same way, Penny; honest to goodness I do. But I know that this is best for Gumball, not us." He lightened his voice and looked out into the front of the building. "He needs this." He could see his family at the front of the check in desk. It was white with a green sign below the office attendant, an anthropomorphic female band-aid wearing a white scrub coat. She looked unhappy as she was talking to the parents, and too far away from the two kids to make out what she was saying to them. Outside the conversation radius, the waiting room was littered with white colored walls, gray cushioned chairs that separated in two columns left and right of Penny and Darwin, and overall false to them. The inside front of the building seemed like a curtain hiding something far worse on the other side. The only other doorway was to the left of the office attendant, painted green with a big white sign that had "Staff Only" written on it. Aside from the Waterson's and Penny, there were only a couple other people, each separated from each other on other sides of the room, and overhead of them, elevator-like music that added to the faking of happiness.

"This… looks horrible." Penny said in disgust of the place. Darwin knew she was right as they continued towards the family.

"and how many people are you checking into the facility?" the attendant asked them facing her computer. She went on typing as the conversation went on.

"Just one." Nicole depressingly said. She bent down to pick up Gumball and placed him on the counter. He faced the attendant, but did nothing with his mother's hand on his head. "My son, Gumball Tristopher Waterson." She sniffled and buried her face back into her paws. Richard wrapped his big pink arm around her for comfort, just like back at the hospital.

"Why is he here?" The nurse blandly asked. Richard tried to speak up since Nicole couldn't.

"Well, he uh… he's…"

"He thinks he's an animal," Anais said from below the desk. "or more specifically, a feral." The worker still refused to look away, simply typing on as they went.

"Very well then." She reached for a clipboard and held in in front of the family's face, typing with just one hand now. "Fill out these forms and return them to me promptly. You will have now until 5 minutes after to say your goodbyes." Nicole still couldn't pull herself out of her crying, so Richard grabbed it with his other free hand.

"Thank you?" he unsurely said to her. She kept her face glued to her screen and said nothing in response. _What a_ * ** _B_** _ad-word*_ Richard thought to himself in his head. He looked at the clipboard and skimmed over it, but the further down he went, the more he started to copy Nicole in his arm. "I… I don't think I can fill this out." He started to sniffle and tear, until Anais came from below.

"Its ok dad, I'll do it if you want." Without a second thought, he held the clipboard below his waist for his youngest child to reach. She grabbed hold of it and turned her back on her parents while walking right past Darwin and Penny. Now with a free hand, Richard cradled his wife in a big hug as she sobbed on. He started to pant and exhale loudly in despair, but kept himself from crying. Darwin and Penny looked at each other, feeling like they were (somewhat) alone.

"Are you sure there's nothing left to try, Darwin?"

"If there was Penny, I think I'd have done it by now. All we can do is tell Gumball how much we love him and say our farewells." He closed his eyes and quickly wiped a tear away from himself. "I wish he didn't have to go, but I need to accept it." Penny looked up at Gumball on the counter and saw only the back of his shirt and tail. She wished he would look at her, but at the same time, feared those eyes she would see again. _I didn't know what to think the first time, so what about now? s_ he thought to herself.

"Darwin," Anais budged in, "Do you know what the date is today?" He turned to answer her.

"It's the 16th".

"Thanks. I'm almost finished." She went back to writing on the clipboard and left the two by themselves again.

"I don't know what I'm going to do without Gumball, Darwin. He meant so much to me that… I don't think anyone could ever replace him in my life."

"That's exactly how I feel. Maybe he was sometimes selfish, uncaring, narcissistic, control-"

"I get it, Darwin. You're starting to make me think badly about him now."

"Oh, sorry. But I mean, at least he did always want to help others and be a good person, even when he wasn't at times. He actually told me once that if I weren't so nice, like a guardian, he'd probably be a much worse person."

"That really is touching, Darwin. I've always felt like I was a good influence to him as well. Just a little though." Darwin chuckled some under his breath. "What's so funny?" he genuinely smiled as he answered her.

"A little? You were practically his whole universe. You meant so much to him, that I think you were the other reason he was always so nice, especially around you." Penny gave Darwin a smile right back and put her hand on his side.

"Maybe, but I think Gumball should care more about you than me personally. You're a much greater influence on his life than I am, and he should know that… if he ever comes back." Both their smiles instantly dropped as Anais walked past them and back to the parents.

"Here dad, it's finished." Anais held the clipboard up to him and he took it back, handing it to the female over the counter. She finally took her hands and face away from the screen and retrieved the papers and board in hand.

"The staff will show up to take away your child for treatment. Please be ready to leave when they arrive; I'll go take this for recording." She walked away from the counter and went further into the office, disappearing from the family's sight. As soon as she left, Gumball turned to face his family, curious as to what was going on. As he sat there on all four legs, looking around at everyone with his natural eyes, His parents were the first one's up. One by one, they all said what they needed. Nicole went first, pulling herself out of her depression, but couldn't get rid of her oversized glossy eyes.

"Gumball, if you can hear me, I'm so sorry for this. I wish we could keep you with us, but… I can't do this to you. I'm sor-ree-he-heee. *Gasp* Ah-ha-ha-ha-haaaa." She threw her face back into her paws and cried even louder than before. Richard kept one arm around her waist and held his other free hand to the back of her head. He faced his son and stared into his eyes.

"I'm sorry too Gumball. Please know that we're doing this because we love you. I wish you the best of luck, son. Ah-ha-haaa." Tears began running down his face as he turned his back on him and walked himself and Nicole out the building. Anais was too short to reach the counter Gumball was on, but she could see him as he did her below. She took a deep breath to calm herself and prepared for the worse.

"Gumball, I know there's a small chance you're not even understanding me right now, but I want you to know that… I'm sorry for not supporting you more. I feel terrible for doing this, but I hope you understand that it's for the best. I still love you Gumball, and you'll always be my big brother, but you need this more than us." She turned herself around and walked slowly away from him and said one last thing as she passed Darwin and Penny. "Goodbye Gumball. Take care." They watched her proceed out to her parents and stared blankly into each other's eyes. They wondered who should go next, but Darwin sighed in defeat.

"Fine. I guess I'm next." He turned away from her to face his brother. As he approached Gumball, his cat eyes worried his brother for both fear of attack and of becoming sad. It was a worrisome combo for Darwin, but he couldn't back down. When he stood only a foot away from Gumball, he looked at him and said what he wanted.

"Gumball, I can't say that my life will ever be the same without you. You care more about me than anyone else I know, and without you, I don't know what to expect. I fear I'll be alone without you, but hopefully, our friends will be there for me. Maybe, just maybe, this will be good for me. Maybe I can learn to be more independent through all this. But don't think there will ever be a day where I don't wish you weren't with me." He started to tear up the more he went on. " I love you more than anything in the world Gumball, so please understand how difficult this is for me. I wish you didn't have to go, but this is for the best." He reached out to hug Gumball and wrapped his fins around him. Gumball's head just bobbed out in the open as he was constricted around the fish. He looked down at him, but didn't do anything except blink. "Get better soon Gumball. Do whatever it takes to come back home." He released himself and looked back at Gumball and petted his neck, hoping he would purr. "Get well my brother. I wish you the best of luck on your road to recovery." The cat did not purr or smile at Darwin as he was being petted. Instead, the blue feline bent down and rubbed his head against the fish, but Darwin was so unhappy about leaving, he forced himself away and turned against Gumball. The cat looked surprised to see such odd behavior, but from behind the fish's back, Darwin held his fins into his face and started to cry. Penny felt bad for Darwin, but knew she would feel just the same way. Darwin decided it was best to just leave now and not turn back. Covering his eyes and walking past a sorrowful Penny, he proceeded out the door and back to his family.

Now all that remained was the colorful fairy, alone with Gumball the feral. They both stared into each other's eyes and said nothing for the meanwhile. Penny couldn't take her eyes off his as she observed the way they were. She had never seen Gumball like this in all her life, and it both amazed and feared her. She walked slowly over to him on the counter and was about at eye level with him, being that she was taller than him naturally. The cat was still as could be, only tilting his head slightly to the side as he looked into Penny's eyes. She felt like wanting to cry the longer she faced him, but pressed on in agony.

"How could you, Gumball. How could you do this to me? Don't you even recognize who I am? It's me, Penny Fitzgerald." Gumball neither said nor did anything as she went on. "I'm your girlfriend. You've loved me since we first knew each other, and now it's like you don't even know me anymore. All those year and attempts to get me? I know you know, so fight it Gumball. You can't leave me; you just can't! Say something, anything!" She reached her arms out and pulled Gumball into the tightest hug she could muster. "Don't you love me? Don't you know it's me?!" Despite feeling like he was being crushed, the blue feline found comfort in her holding. The smoothness of her yellow skin and soft touch was like that of a pillow. From behind her head, the blue cat smiled and closed his eyes, resting his head alongside her own. He did not purr, but felt relaxed and calm as she continued to hold him. Something about her reminded him that he has felt this way before. A feeling that ignited something more than just his heart.


	10. The Benign Revelation

**A/N: Okay, real quickly: this is a MIXED CHAPTER (Zach and** reality **). However, I've bolded the "inner head" moments and ** left the reality portion normal. **I apologize if you find this annoying, but I figured it was better than a dozen different mini-chapters. Also, I know this is LONG for a chapter, but it's where the most conflict with Zach & Gumball goes on.**

* * *

 **Inside the dome of black darkness, Gumball was panicking and running for his life. Everything from TV's, Joyful burgers, lockers, cars, and more were falling from the sky around Gumball. All the meanwhile, swerving left and right to avoid any collision, Zach was shooting paint balls at him and laughing from the distance. As maniacal as it was, Gumball was too afraid of being crushed to be mad. He was too focused on staying alive, ducking for cover behind an upside-down car. Gumball knew it was pointless to think he could escape. All he could do was run and hide, hoping for the best. Zach finally ceased his laughter and called out to the field of debris in his wake.**

" **You can run, but you can't hide!" He raised his arm up and waved it directly to his right, blowing everything that had fallen away in a gust of wind; everything except the car Gumball was crouched behind. His arms over his head and his eyes closed in fear, possessing nothing but the clothes on his body. "If only I could make you a mouse, Gumball. Then it would truly feel like a game, wouldn't it?"**

" **Your insane, Zach!" Gumball cried out from behind his hiding place. "It's reasons like this that you can't ever go back. You think so highly of yourself that you can't even see why people hated you back in the real world." Zach shot a few paint balls at the car.**

" **Nobody hates Zach, and even if they did, I could care less." From behind the vehicle, he kicked it up and overhead of Gumball it went, flying out into the darkness ever so far away. Gumball slowly turned himself around and stared down the black barrel of the paint gun cross centered between his eyes. "It was my life, and you took it from me, and as long as you're here, you… will… suffer." He tightened his finger around the trigger. Gumball closed his eyes and prepared for the worse kind of intense pain he could think of. Zach widened his smile and was ready to shoot, when suddenly, a vibration occurred. It shook the very ground underneath and tossed Zach to the ground flat on his back. Gumball remained in a ball form on the ground as he opened his eyes to the sudden movement.**

" **What was that? A brainquake?" he asked Zach. Zach looked around the emptiness and answered Gumball.**

" **That was activity." Zach looked both worried and excited as he turned every which way around himself. Gumball looked confused, but said nothing. "A large dose of info was just shot to the conscious. I wonder…" He threw the paintball gun up into the air, disappearing into a thousand dust particles, and ran away from Gumball. He quickly shot his arms out into the open and manifested from the ground a giant computer monitor. A magnificently large, blue-bubbled screen that rested above a long keyboard of flashing buttons and switches. Zach was busy powering it up when Gumball got up from his position and walked to the other cat.**

" **What is this?" Gumball asked Zach as he approached the monitor, having forgotten that he was about to get shot just a minute ago. Zach answered without breaking his engagement with the system.**

" **It's a monitor that I imagined to help observe what's going on in the mind. I still have connections to other parts of the brain, but need a system to observe them with, and from the looks of iiiitt…" He slowly drifted off for a second. "Ah ha, just as I thought. The conscious just repaired a large segment of itself all at once. This can only mean that something from the outside world is having a larger effect than normal, and if we're lucky enough… Yes! Zach's a genius!" he called out to himself. Gumball crossed his arms and decided it was best to be filled in.**

 **He sighed and asked "What now?" Zach glanced at Gumball with his back still turned on him, but kept his fingers working on the monitor.**

" **I managed to find a neural pathway that gives me a link to the Optic Cranial Nerve, which will show just what is going on in the outside world." Gumball raised his eyes.**

" **What the what?! Why didn't you do this before?"**

" **Because all sense nerves cross through the conscious before going here, which was shut down if you recall. Now, if I just do this, aaaaannd… Bada-boom!" Zach flipped a switch and pulled up on the monitor the cat's vision. The outer edging was blurry and frosted, but a mostly clear picture of the waiting room could be seen from the outside. Both Zach and Gumball were confused, looking out to see only a connection between two white walls and a white roof. Besides this, only a few overhead lights were seen illuminating around from the ceiling. Zach went on and continued as he faced the screen. "Drat. Looks like the connection isn't strong enough to give a fully clear image, but I guess this will have to do." The outside camera to the eyes on the monitor had suddenly shifted. Now in front of the two on screen was Penny, with such a sad and lonely look to her the likes of which Gumball had never seen before.**

" **Oh my gosh," Gumball said dramatically, "It's Penny!" Zach turned away from the screen and looked at Gumball in confusion.**

" **Penny? Isn't she that peanut girl with antlers that you liked?" He turned back at the screen to look at her. "What happened to her?" Gumball didn't understand why, but he got furious with Zach.**

" **She came out of her shell and now she's different!" he barked at Zach. He approached the monitor and stood parallel with him as they faced the screen. Above, she was wording something through the camera, but nothing could be heard. Gumball was worried and started to panic, turning to Zach for answers. "Why can't we hear her? I wanna hear my girlfriend this instant!" Zach pushed Gumball away from the controls and hatefully obliged out of curiosity.**

" **Ugh, just calm down. This is a link to the Optic nerve, so we can see her, but not hear. To know what she's saying, I have to link this up to the Vestibulocochlear nerve. Then sound can come through." He went on typing and pushing buttons on his terminal, instantly shooting a happy look to himself. "Looks like I found a link that's even stronger than the Optic one is." He reached down and twisted a dial clockwise. "The sound will be even clearer than the image." As he slowly turned the knob, Penny's voice started to echo in the distance. It sounded vague at first, but slowly, her voice became clearer for the two to hear.**

* * *

"(mumbled voicing)… ergha, no diss zu me, Gumball? I need you back." She shook the cat back and forth lightly, hoping for the best. "Please Gumball; I need you to say something to me. Show me your still here!"

* * *

 **Gumball ran up to the monitor. "Penny," he called out, "I am here. Look at me!" He waved his arms around like a fool in front of Zach.**

" **She can't see you, doofus; only I can see her."**

" **You mean we." Gumball stated demandingly.**

" **No, me, cause she'll be mine when the time is right." Gumball wanted to say something, but Penny's voice cut into the start of the showdown.**

* * *

"How can you not remember me, Gumball? What about all the memories you had with me? I need you, Gumball. I need you to remember!" She stopped her shaking of the feral animal and began to cry in misery. The tears fell from her face and she loosened her grip on the cat. All he did was stare blankly at her, not bothered the least by her shaking. To him, it was annoying being shaken like she had, but he found comfort near her just like his mom. From behind him **(and the sight of his eyes on screen)** , the band aid attendant had made her return, along with two much larger male band-aids as big as construction workers. Unlike her white scrubs, theirs were an ivy green coupled with angry looking faces.

"Alright, miss," the attendant said down on Penny. "These men are ready to take him away. I need you to wrap it up for us." Her tone of voice set penny on the edge. She felt so angry, she wanted to just rip the lady's head off in one bite as a dragon, but she held her cool when she faced back at Gumball again. Her eyes started to grow bigger and bigger the more she stared at him, and feeling powerless to do anything, held her head down in shame.

"I guess this is it," she said as the tears rolled down her eyes. "You really are gone aren't you?"

* * *

" **NO! No, no no! I'm still here Penny!" Gumball cried out at the top of his lungs. Zach stood beside him with his arms still crossed and a near closed eye stare at the screen. Gumball grabbed Zach's shoulders and shook him viciously back and forth. "You have to do something Zach! Please!" Zach pried himself away from Gumball.**

" **There's nothing I can do." He brushed himself off and fixed his collar, returning his attention to the screen. Gumball wanted to do something, but kept went back to looking at Penny from behind the imaginary glass.**

* * *

"I'm sorry, Gumball. I wish I could have done more for you." She lifted her head back up to face him once more. Her eyes so wide and reflective, it made the feral Gumball drooped his ears and cheeks in sorrow. He could feel that she was upset, but did nothing as he watched on in his natural form. She raised up her right arm and held it to Gumball's cheek. He did not flinch or move, simply accepting it's gentle feel. As she went on, she could not stop sobbing in woe for him. "Goodbye, Gumball… I'll never forget you… or what you did for me-he-heee." She had finally broken down in front of him and poured what water she had from her eyes.

* * *

" **No Penny! Please don't go, don't leave me heeeerre!" The ordinary Gumball of the mind couldn't look on anymore. He closed his eyes and held back none of his misery. The bitter sweet tears of his eyes rolling down his face as Zach just watched with a smug smile wrapped devilishly around him.**

" **Serves you right," he said to the devastated blue cat. Gumball could only feel sadness in the moment, but what Zach said… it made him snap. His melancholy replaced with exasperation, he quickly pulled himself up from off the ground and pounced Zach from the side. It was the first time Gumball had the upper edge, and even though he knew he couldn't hold him forever, he put every fiber of his anger into Zach. He first clawed at his face, going for the eyes first to try and blind him. While Zach cried out in pain, Gumball grabbed his right arm and fist punched it with his, effectively snapping it in half. Zach was in pain, but using his other free hand, quickly pushed Gumball off of his body. He pulled himself up before Gumball had a chance and jumped atop of him. The scratch marks along his eyelids healed themselves up as Zach went on to speak. "You really thought that was gonna work?" When his sentence had ended, his eyes were fully healed and he pulled them open to look down at his rival. "Think again." He raised his right arm up and, automatically, snapped back into place. Zach made no noise as his bones crunched back together, but gave Gumball another one of his smug smiles. Gumball was so freak out by the sudden display of the arm that he couldn't move or speak. He was too shocked, and scared, to do anything in the moment. The duo went on to wrestle each other as Penny continued from the monitor beside them.**

* * *

Penny felt like there was nothing more she could for him as she looked into his eyes, but something wasn't right to her. She missed Gumball more than anything in the moment and felt like saying goodbye wasn't enough. Without thinking twice about her actions, she wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and, in front of the staff, grabbed his head still and kissed him. Her eyes closed with tears still running down her cheeks, but Gumball's were wide open. His eyes still shaped like the diamonds they were, but his pupils dilated, his brows raised high, and his ears shot up in the moment of affection. In the instant, his heart began racing faster than ever, blood boiling hot, and the mind… stimulated.

* * *

 **Gumball and Zach paid no attention to the screen. Too caught up fighting each other, sending punches left and right, and Zach spawning a baseball bat from overhead, they had no idea what was going on outside anymore. Gumball thought he was doomed for all eternity with Zach, and Zach figured he had the upper hand in making him suffer. Zach swung the bat, but Gumball narrowly dodged it. He didn't see the second one coming however, and was beaten to the floor yet again. Before he had a chance to react, Zach raised the bat over his head and slammed it down on Gumball a dozen or more times. With every hit, Gumball felt more and more in pain, unable to keep quiet and shrieking with every hit. By time Zach finished, Gumball could barely speak. Zach laughed as he stood over Gumball in boasting of his win.**

" **I would say something like 'say good night', but you're not going anywhere, sooo… Just take this." Zach raised the bat over his head, ready to strike Gumball. All Gumball could feel was pain and fear as he watched Zach stand tall over him. All hope seemed lost for him, when suddenly; he saw something from behind Zach. Despite that he was going to get hurt, he asked anyway.**

" **Uh, Zach," Gumball sputtered out of his swollen lips, "What was that?" He raised a paw and pointed behind Zach, but he seemed unimpressed.**

" **Come on. You don't actually expect me to fall for that old bit, do you?" Gumball was still afraid Zach would hit him, but he kept on in as serious a manner as he could.**

" **Dude, I'm serious. There's like, strands of light floating up behind you." Zach raised a brow at Gumball.**

" **Wait, what?" He decided to give in and turned his head behind him. Gumball thought about pulling himself out while Zach was distracted, but he decided it was best to stay put. He not only didn't want Zach to hurt him anymore than he had, but wanted to know if Zach knew what was going on. He could only guess by the shock on his face that he did. "*Gasp* It's happening." He whispered to himself loudly.**

" **What is?" Gumball asked him. Feeling drawn to the shooting rays above, he pulled himself off of Gumball and dropped his weapon. It disappeared the instant it touched the ground.**

" **Those lights," Zach exhaled from his breath as Gumball stood back up behind him. "There memories travelling along neurons. Memories going from here to the conscious." In the distance, about thirty or more beams traveled up into the sky, but there were more. As Zach and Gumball looked around the area, more flashes and orange beams moved up around them. Like bullets, they traveled straight up into the sky, emitting the entire area into a mix of white and orange that made the room vibrant. With every beam out of the hundreds that went up into the sky, they all converged into one singular white circle directly above the center. Every beam made it grow larger and larger in diameter, and all the two cats did was stare into its magnificent opening. Zach mumbled out from under his breath "There it is. The conscious." Gumball decided to look away from the glorious hole above and back on the screen. What he saw looked even more incredible to him.**

" **Dude, look," Gumball said as he pointed at the monitor. Zach turned his attention towards Gumball and followed his finger, finding a surprising sight. Both of them saw the fairy Penny with her face pressed up near his. They both figured it could only mean one thing.**

" **So that's what's going on. It's her," Zach stated. "The experience of the kiss must be so strong; the body is overwhelming itself with memories of her." He looked back up at the bright white circle above him and followed up on his statement. "These memories are bringing the mind back." Zach and Gumball couldn't take their eyes off what they saw. Gumball wished he could tell Penny he was still here while Zach wished for something more to happen.**

* * *

Before Penny could pull herself away, the attendants did the job for her. "Okay little girl, that's enough," one of the guys said as they both grabbed gold of Gumball. One grabbed his leash and the other one had Gumball wrapped in one arm. Penny wanted to cry out at them to stop, but a lump in her throat caught her and left her speechless. The last thing the surprised cat saw was her with her arm out as though she waved good bye. The creature knew he couldn't leave her and struggled to break free. He closed his cat eyes and wrestled with the men to escape.

* * *

 **From the center of the white light, a huge ray of white light shot straight down through the air, slamming the ground beneath the duo. They nearly lost their balance in the shaking as they turned to face the pillar of light. While Gumball was unsure what to do, Zach opened his mouth and presented a real, energetic smile. "This is it… This is my chance!" He spoke so loudly as he took off that Gumball couldn't stand behind.**

" **Hey!" He started running after Zach towards the light, but Zach wasn't about to let him get close. He jumped up and pulled a skateboard out of thin air, fitting it right under his legs. While the board moved towards the light, Zach kept his focus on Gumball behind (pulling a fakie). He held out his arms and spawned a bunk bed in front of Gumball. Gumball looked worried at first, but charged right towards it, jumping through the middle space of the beds. It exploded into pieces from behind him as he landed on all fours, continuing to run after him. Zach wasn't impressed and held his hand high in the air. From above, hundreds of genetically modified cherries larger than Gumball's head fell from the sky. He did his best to dodge them as they exploded every which way, but the juices were what got him. He couldn't keep his balance as he slipped in every direction. He was losing his balance going from fours-to-twos-to circles all while standing. The last pose he made was on one foot as he kept sliding on the cherry juice towards Zach. He said aloud to himself "Hang on a second. As long as I keep my balance, I can just cherry skate my way." He pulled himself into position and skated along the liquids, dodging left and right, as well as jumping a few for showboating. He felt like he could take on anything Zach threw his way, until he realized Zach had made it.**

" **Your too late, Gumball." Zach kicked the front of the board up and ollie'd it back into his hands, metamorphosing it into a bazooka. Gumball dropped his jaw and raised his eyes in shock, but kept his form while still skating the juices. "Instead of saying 'Dodge this!' like last time, how about I go with… See you on the flip side… PSYCH!" He pulled the trigger and sent the missile flying at Gumball. He didn't know what to do as he saw the ballistic hurtling towards him. He didn't believe he could duck it.** _ **But maybe I can jump it,**_ **Gumball thought to himself. He doubted he could do it, but figured there was no other way.** _ **I'm a cat after all; I should have wicked reflexes!**_ **He narrowed his eyes targeted the missile. It was coming in hot, but he prepared for the worse. He stopped swinging his feet, gliding along the cherry juice and preparing for his jump. The missile was coming in closer and closer, and all the more was Gumball's heart following along. He was scared alright, but he couldn't let Zach cross through the light.**

 **In slow motion, Gumball made his jump over the missile. He propelled himself up from the ground and landed one foot along the side of the missile. His foot shot the front head of the missile downward, but he landed his other foot just near the back border of the exhaust end. At a 45° angle did Gumball slant it at the ground, and just before it's collision and explosion, jumped as hard as he could off the missile and took off like a bird. Back at normal speed, the blast radius of the explosion sent Gumball straight into the air. Traveling at what looked to be nearly one-hundred miles an hour to Zach, they couldn't believe their eyes. Zach was so impressed, he completely forgot about his weapon and watched Gumball soar through the sky in his direction.**

" **Woooah," Zach said in envy, "not bad for a loser." Gumball was arching closer to the light, feeling he might make it before hitting the ground. His face lit up as he soared straight towards the long beam.**

* * *

The feral Gumball was in full swing of attacking. He struggled endlessly trying to unleash his holding. He wished he could open his jaw and bite down at the guy's arm that was holding him in place. The two workers with Gumball held down between them approached a solid white door being protected by a similar figure of a man. The one holding Gumball around his neck spoke to the attendant.

"Is the room ready yet?" The man at the door wrapped his fingers around the handle and unlocked it for the two.

"Everything's set to go. The electrotherapist is ready for this one." The two walked through the open door while Gumball continued to struggle for freedom. He had to get back to that fairy, even if he didn't know why. Once they were in, the man closed the door from behind them and went back to his Brit. soldier post at the door.

* * *

" **I'm gonna make it. I'm gonna make it!" He smiled as he closed in towards his freedom. "I'm coming Penny. I'm coming home everyone." It wasn't until Gumball started descending downward straight towards Zach that he suddenly became scared again. "Oh no! I'm not gonna make it!" He started screaming as he fell towards the ground. From below, Zach smiled and waited for the collision. He thought to himself as he watched on merrily.** _ **I could shoot him while he's falling or just take one step behind me and leave now, but this looks too fun to miss out on.**_ **A lawn chair spawned underneath Zach and he leaned back to watch in style. He couldn't wait for Gumball to face plant the ground. Meanwhile, Gumball wanted it all to stop. "Oh, gosh! Please tell me this isn't actually happening!" He closed his eyes in dreaded fear of the landing, letting the wind blow in his face. "I wish I had a parachute to land safely." Instantly, the wind stopped, and Gumball took notice. He opened one eye to find himself still falling, but straight down and much slower than before. "Wait, what the?" He looked above him and found a parachute strapped to his back. It was part green and part black, but took both Gumball and Zach off guard.**

" **What- how the?" Zach said, lifting his back up from the chair. He watched as Gumball landed on his two feet, standing only twenty feet away from the comfy Zach. As soon as he was still, Gumball unlatched the safety bag from his back and faced Zach from across the way. Part of Zach's front looked to be shadowed over from the brightness of the light behind him. "How did you do that?!" he cried out at Gumball. "Only I can imagine stuff here. This is my world, not yours!" Gumball didn't answer him, but knew he was right.** _ **How did I do that,**_ **he thought to himself. He looked at Zach from behind, but couldn't stop observing that light behind him. After staring at it for a few more seconds, he figured it out.**

" ***Light gasp* Of course. It's the light," he said to himself. "That light must be a connection to the conscious, and if what Zach said was true about me, then anything I imagine from there is coming in here." He shot up a smile, but gave Zach his evil yellowed eye stare from afar. He knew that with the power in his hand, the odds were fair, but he had to surprise attack him. Otherwise, Zach was too close and would easily escape. He thought up the first thing that came to him, slowly putting a hand behind his back. "Hey, Zach" Gumball shouted across the way with his other free hand.**

" **What?" Zach yelled back.**

" **You know what I think is going on?"**

" **What?" From behind Gumball, a grappling hook gun pieced itself together, fitting perfectly in Gumball's paws. He said his next words in as dark and deep a voice he could call aloud to Zach.**

" **Mind tricks." He pulled the gun out from behind himself and quickly aimed it at Zach, pulling the trigger as fast he could. The claws extended out as they traveled across the darkness and, before Zach could react, grabbed hold around his body. Zach freaked out and quickly tried to jump into the light, but unsuccessfully missed touching it. He was retracted back to Gumball, flying in mid air at a fast speed. Zach quickly imagined a sword and swiped at the metal claw. It cut in half, but he went skidding and turning round on the ground. Gumball let go of the damaged gun and quickly replaced it with a shovel. He held it up like a bat in both hands and awaited Zach to come his way. As Zach went bouncing along the ground, he spawned bubble around himself hoping it would stop Gumball's attack. Gumball took his swing and popped it on sight, yet Zach scrapped by feeling only the breeze fly over his face. Zach barrel rolled behind Gumball and got back up straight on his feet. Gumball went blazing in, converting his shovel into a flamethrower and torching the target. Zach did not have access to an infinite imagination like Gumball however and could only spawn what the mind saw outside. He quickly pulled a blanket of snow from the ground to shield the blast. It only held for a few seconds, but it was enough for Zach to get himself a car and drive around the fire. He gunned it past Gumball and laughed as he drove towards the light again. Gumball threw the weapon to the floor and cried out "Oh, YEAH?" He held his hands out and raised the car up from the distance. He knew Zach would try something, and thinking in the moment, he closed his paws and crushed the car from within. The sound of crunching metal drowned out any noise that could have been made from the other cat, but Gumball heard nothing of the sorts. He kept the ball of metal in the air for a few seconds, but slowly descended it to the ground. When it reached the bottom, Gumball took his force off the vehicle ad wondered where Zach was. It wasn't until he felt a finger tap his shoulder he knew.**

" **Looking for me?" said the voice behind Gumball. Gumball decided he had enough of fighting Zach.**

" **That's it!" he shouted out. He swung himself around buried his paw straight into Zach's neck. He clenched down on it as he picked Zach up from off the ground. As he was chocking for air, Zach tried to imagine something to break himself free, but Gumball was already a step ahead. He tossed Zach into the air and held him in place. There Zach floated above the ground and was incapable of moving. His limbs spread apart, he tried as hard as he could to think of a way out, but Gumball knew it wouldn't work. He levitated himself up to Zach's height above the ground and explained what was going on. "You can't defeat me, Zach. My power is stronger than yours now, and as long as I have you in my holding, you can't imagine any way out. The odds are in my favor now." Gumball forced his arms down as fast as he could and propelled Zach to the floor. Nothing but a large dust cloud laid in the area, but before anything else, Gumball dropped himself at incredible speed towards the landing zone. His foot out and ready to stomp, he body slammed Zach right in, then grabbed him, threw him in circles, and tossed him like a stone in the direction of the light. Zach bounced up and down as he hit the floor over and over again, finally stopping about ten feet from the pillar of light. Zach was too weak to get up, but Gumball made sure it wouldn't happen anyway.**

" **Stop," Zach moaned out when he heard Gumball's feet approaching his tossed over body. Gumball looked down at Zach, who was on his side and facing away from him. Gumball smiled at seeing him in pain.**

" **Yes Zach," he said from above, "It's time to stop this; once, and for all." He held out his arms, then swung his right over to the right side. Zach's body turned face up, finally capable of seeing the overpowering thought. Gumball closed his right paw, spawning a chain and shackle around Zach's left wrist. Before he could react, Gumball did the same to his right, and finally his legs. Gumball knew that this would be it; He would finally get rid of Zach for good. With Zach too hurt to do anything, Gumball pulled his right arm over his back and created for himself an electric sword. It was an energy blade that glistened in electric blue as shocks of electricity shot out all around the blade's edge. Zach was scared, but Gumball appeared excited. Without giving it a second thought, Gumball slashed Zach's left arm off, causing the subdued feline to cry in pain. He then proceeded on with the other arm, taking it clear off in one slash like the first. Zach couldn't do anything but watch himself be dismembered. As Gumball continued on with his legs, cutting both off in one swing each, Zach knew he could regenerate them, but not with Gumball's power over-ruling his.** _ **If only I had escaped when I had the chance,**_ **Zach thought to himself just as Gumball took what was left of his body. Gumball stepped closer to Zach and raised his blue sword over Zach's chest. Zach looked at the blade and feared what Gumball intended to do, but Gumball had one thing left to say to him first. "This is the end for you, Zach. Once I kill you here, you should disappear forever from me, and you'll never see the light of day again. Any last words?" Gumball pulled his sword up over his head, continuing to watch Zach and wait for his response. Zach wanted to escape, but knew it was pointless. It was hard for him to think with him staring death in the face, but he decided to just say what he kept down for so long.**

" **I guess all I have to say is… I hope you can live knowing you're committing murder." The words threw Gumball for a loop and forced him to lower his stature.**

" **What?" was all Gumball could say from the confusion. He felt lost by the comment, but Zach was only angry.**

" **Go ahead Gumball," he said bitterly as he laid on the ground. "Do it… Get rid of me and go back, but just know that it isn't your life." Gumball still didn't get it and raised an eyebrow at the dismembered cat. He didn't understand how, but he had a feeling of guilt coming on. He actually started to feel sorry for Zach, but he didn't want to. He always figured Zach was too mean to deserve pity, and yet there he stood over him, wanting to express it.**

* * *

 **(Meanwhile),** Inside the room, the two guards had finally released Gumball from his restraint. Slowly, the one who's arm was wrapped around Gumball's throat released the cat onto a silver steel table. The second Gumball was free, he quickly tried to jump and run away, but with the leash in the other one's hand, he didn't get far. With each hand, they grabbed the limbs of the poor feral animal. His stomach face up, Gumball tried to wiggle out of their grasp, but unsuccessfully couldn't. The two guards slammed the blue cat to the table, sending a slight pain to the blue cat.

"RHAAAN!" He cried out at the sudden descent to the cold table. The guards locked his wrists tight so he couldn't get out, and then went on to do the same with his legs. All the feral Gumball could do was stare up at the ceiling as he awaited an unknown fate. All that he could focus on was an overhead light that beamed a white light upon his face. It irritated the cat greatly, but he could nothing except look away from it. All the while, the guards entered a room to the side of Gumball's, a door that led them to the other side where a one-way mirror was evident. The only other person in the room was a dark, boney shadow man that lurked in the shady corner of the room. Only his ivy green eyes could be seen in the darkness. His voice sounded smooth and seductive, but menacing and fearful.

"Is the patient ready?" he said with a hint of enthusiasm. One of the guards responded promptly.

"The patient has been secured, sir." The eyes in the shadow squinted slightly in joy.

"Excellent." The eyes turned themselves to face the direction of the animal on the table. He could see Gumball struggling to escape, helpless to the pain he would experience. Something about seeing the cat struggle pleased him; he loved patients that put up a fight. "Let's let her warm up, shall we?" A white, bone-thin arm came out of the darkness and pressed a green button on a dashboard below the glass. The sound of generators activating was heard from Gumball's room, making the cat stop his fuss. The noise scared him, but so much so, he couldn't he felt frozen in place. He looked around to see where the noise was coming from, but in the other room, a big smile came from under the eyes. His teeth all neatly lined up as he awaited the procedure.

* * *

" **You can't fool me, Zach. You expect me to believe that I stole your life away from you? It has to be a lie." Zach squinted his eyes at Gumball in disgust.**

" **Why don't you believe me, Gumball?"**

" **Because if that were true, then I'd have to feel sorry for you, and you. don't. deserve. it."**

" **Oh yeah?" Zach marked his gaze over to his side, where the giant monitor repositioned itself right beside the duo. The image of Penny and the others was static as Zach was trying to manipulate the device. "Then take a look for yourself." Feeling no present threat, Gumball turned to his left with the sword still over his head. He watched the static disappear as it became replaced. On screen, an image of the living room came in. The blue carpet and brown couch made Gumball realize the living room. The screen was low to the ground, facing outside the dining table and towards the window on the front side of the house (juts over the coffee table). From off the screen, Richard's voice came piercing through the area, just after the front door swung open.**

" **Nicole, I'm home from the store," the big bunny said making his way around the couch. He possessed two brown paper bags wrapped around his arms. The screen diverted it's attention away from the bunny and looked to find Nicole coming out the side of the walkway. She first sounded tired in her response, but after looking back at her little baby son, she couldn't help but smile.**

" **Just put the bags down on the dining table. I need to get Zach's food out for him; Isn't that right my wittle Wacky Zachy?" Gumball's jaw dropped to the side in shock. He almost couldn't believe what his mom just said. It both disturbed and repulsed him the way his mom just said that name.** _ **She DIDN'T**_ **Gumball thought to himself, unable to look away from the action. Zach had seen it a hundred times before though, and directed his attention back on Gumball. He wanted to see just how his other self would react. Back on the monitor, Richard set the bags down as the conversation continued.**

" **And don't worry, I made sure not to buy any gum at the store this time."**

" **Thank you, Richard. I know he likes it and all, but I just don't think it's healthy for him to eat it constantly. Now, why don't you keep him preoccupied for me while I fix us something to eat." She reached into one of the plastic bags and pulled out a can of baby food, turning her back on the two and walking away. Richard leaned down and whispered to the camera.**

" **Pss, hey Zach," Richard said, making Gumball's eyes dilate back in double shock. He pulled out a bag from behind his red plaid shirt, revealing an object of truth in his hands. "I found these on sale while at the store." He untied the bag's top and let the gumballs roll out onto the floor. Two little blue paws reached out for the colorful balls and pulled them under and out of sight. "Enjoy." Like Richard, all Gumball did was watch as the creature devoured his treats. Unlike his father however, Gumball was not smiling. "You're so cute, ya know that? So small and sweet looking, just like those gumballs. Makes me want to eat you up like you are one, a-ha-ha!" He bent down to pick up his child. Both the pink bunny and the screen were at eye level with each other. "I honestly don't see why you couldn't be a Gumball if you ask me. You already fit the description. Why, even that blue color of yours works too." From behind the two, Nicole came in, and was upset.**

" **Are those gumballs on the floor Richard!" Richard pulled the little child in around his arm. Now both were facing her scorning face. Richard was disappointed for upsetting his wife.**

" **Yeah, they are. But sweetie, just look at how much Zach loves them?" Nicole raised an eyebrow facing the screen.**

" **Is he sucking on one? Awe, it's so adorable that he's trying to break it." She stepped closer to monitor and looked into it closely. The longer the talking went on, the more destroyed Gumball felt. He couldn't understand why, but every moment was damaging him more and more. He had completely forgotten everything watching the video. His sword overhead, the pillar of light in front of him, and the dismembered version of himself on the ground. He darted his eyes at Zach, who still had that smug smile on his face. Gumball was more concerned about the screen as Richards voice came back however, turning his eyeballs back.**

" **I picked out gumballs because they just reminded me of our son for some reason. He does remind me of them." Nicole couldn't resist her little baby's cute face as he teethed the little ball in his mouth. She smiled at him and rubbed his head.**

" **I guess he's our little Gumball, now aren't cha?" As soon as she was finished, the screen started to disassemble. It became replaced with random videos of the blue cat's life getting older. As they all transitioned, Zach went on.**

" **You see? I told you the truth. After what they did, you came along and took over, took everything from me." Gumball finally pried his vision away from the system and faced his enemy once again. His jaw still dropped in shock; he just listened and stayed quiet. "You might live out there in the real world, but you never knew that you stole it from someone else. Maybe you saw me as a jerk, but good or bad, it was still my life. All those years I missed growing up, taken from me by you." Zach turned his eyes away from Gumball, too depressed to look at him. "I just wanted back what was mine, but I see now that there's no point. I'm not strong enough to ever go back, and as far as it goes, no one cares about me anymore." Feeling the weight of the world crush him, he began to cry. Gumball had never seen Zach cry before, and almost couldn't believe he felt guilty for him. The more Zach went on, the worse Gumball began to feel inside. "Go ahead Gumball. Just kill me here and now, and you'll never have to see or worry about me ever again. You already have killed me for the most part, and for what it's worth, I am sorry that I hurt you, but you hurt me a lot more than you could ever realize." He closed his eyes and started to cry uncontrollably. "I just feel so alone and betrayed by everyone outside. No one cares about me or even knows I exist anymore… not even my own family."He remained silent for a short while, getting what tears he could out of him before his death came along. The waterworks made Gumball start to tear up as well. Zach sniffled and came back to facing Gumball again, elevating his voice through his tears. "What are you waiting for? Just kill me already! END MY LIFE FOR GOOD!-a-ha-ha-haaaaa-ha-haaa…" Gumball was so unsure of what to do.**

 _ **Wha…What do I… I mean…**_ **He was torn between what he should do. Gumball's wrists started shaking in freight. The sword over his head wiggling back and forth, getting faster and faster the longer Gumball held it. He wanted to strike down Zach and be rid of him forever. Every fiber of his being wanted to end him, but if what Zach has shown Gumball is true, how could he?** _ **I must, but I can't**_ **Gumball fought with himself.** _ **He's a jerk, but he has reason to be. He hurt me, but it's justified. He's selfish, but he never got to learn.**_ **Every thought Gumball had made him more and more unsure. Zach's bawling and screaming had finally gotten to Gumball. He closed his eyes and stopped all thinking he had. He let out a shout of hate. "aaaa-AHHHHHHH" and swung his sword straight down. Zach crushed his eyes together at the sound of the blade hitting the ground. He felt like it was all over.** _ **Gumball finally did it**_ **Zach believed.** _ **Am I… dead?**_ **He didn't feel any pain in the heat of the moment and finally opened one of his eyes. He saw Gumball still standing over him, but he looked devastated. His whole front body was slouched over like an arch. His arms dangling from the air and his face hidden from sight. Zach turned his attention back on himself and saw no evidence of the blade having struck him. He then realized that it was just to his left. The blue blade was only a foot away from Zach's head.** _ **Did he miss or something**_ **he thought to himself. He waited for Gumball to speak, but all he heard was Gumball sobbing in privacy.**

" **You missed me," Zach finally said. Gumball didn't respond at first, but he finally managed to pull himself up, or at least his head. Zach could see Gumball bellowing and whining as tears rolled down his face. Through the sadness, Gumball spoke out.**

" **I *sniffle* didn't miss." Gumball wiped his tears away, stepping closer and kneeling down to Zach. He put his left arm underneath Zach's head and held it up to face him. The fact that he had no arms or legs made Gumball feel worse. "Zach, I'm sorry. I'm so, so, horribly sorry for not believing you." He pulled his arms around Zach and wrapped him in a hug. Without any arms of his own, Zach couldn't do anything, though he was caught off guard. "It's no wonder you were so mean; so** **bumptious." As Gumball continued to cry over Zach's shoulder, Zach raised an eyebrow in question behind Gumball. He has never felt the embrace of a hug before, and it made him suspicious.**

" **Like you actually care," Zach said in a disgusted manner. Gumball released Zach and held him by his side.**

" **I do care. I've never felt so guilty for something in all my life." Gumball placed his right paw on Zach's chest and closed his eyes. Before Zach could guess what he was doing, his limbs had magically grown back. He looked at his arms and waved them gently in the air. He couldn't believe what Gumball had done for him. "I want you to know that I will never be able to forgive myself for what happened Zach, and also this."**

" **What? What do you mean 'this,'" Zach asked as he placed his paws on the ground. Gumball closed his eyes and knelt his head downward, whispering something in shame.**

" **For this." From out of the ground, chains and shackles spawned outward and wrapped themselves around Zach's body. Gumball darted himself backward before Zach had a chance to do anything. His wrists and ankles cuffed down to the dark ground as more and more chains wrapped themselves around him. Gumball just watched in pity of the spectacle. As the last chain finished its encasement, Zach called Gumball out.**

" **What?! What are you doing?" Zach tried his best to shake his way out, struggling every which way for freedom. Gumball stepped closer and looked down at Zach for the last time.**

" **Zach," he said quietly. "I want you to know that I feel terrible for what happened, and I know it's unfair to do this to you, but I can't let you go back. You're too bad a person to ever be let free, but you don't deserve to die for what you've done." Zach stopped his struggling.**

" **Who do you think you are to do this to me? You can't leave me here; I'd rather die than have to stay in this place!" Hearing Zach's angry words only increased the wretchedness in Gumball's heart. He didn't want to, but he knew what was best.**

" **I would hate myself if I were in your place too, but I can't let you go. I'm too selfish to stay behind, and I feel ashamed to do this to you, but I won't stay here." He stood back up on his feet and faced the portal in front of him. Nothing about the white beam had changed the entire time they fought on. "I'm going back to the real world, Zach, and I will never forget you, or what I've learned here. I know you can never forgive me for what I'm doing to you, but I guess this will be my burden to bare."**

" **NO! Don't you dare leave me here! I refuse to let you win; I'm the one that's supposed to!" Gumball bent his down and closed his eyes, saying his final words.**

" **Goodbye, Zach. Farewell, and I'm sorry." He let a single tear from his eye and stepped forward to the light. Gumball only got further and further away, with Zach shouting as loud as he could.**

" **You can't do this to me! It's MY LIFE! You don't deserve it; all those people should love ME!" Gumball was directly in front of the beam, feeling the energy overtake him. He could feel it raising up, blowing some of his hair up into the sky. He looked straight at the top where the beam was ending, but couldn't smile. His ticket out was only a foot step away, and all he could feel was guilt. "You're leaving me here to rot! How can you live with yourself knowing what you're doing?! How can you do this to meeee!" Gumball twisted his body backwards to face the tied up Zach. The light created a shadow over his front half as the stream continued on behind him as he said his final words.**

" **By believing your worse than I am, Zach. But what kind of person leaves another to face purgatory?" He held his arms out horizontally from each other and leaned back into the light. He fell backwards entering the pillar with his eyes closed. As though it were magic, he floated in mid air flat on his back and slowly ascended higher and higher into the sky.**

" **NOOOO! WHYYY-HY-hiiigh. *Gasp* Nooo-ho-ho-hoooo." Zach continued to cry in misery, all alone once more with his only means of escape disappearing. He could see the bottom of the light receding up from the ground, and it made him both angry and sad to see his means of escape leave him. He knew it was over and that there was no going back now.** _ **Gumball actually won**_ **he thought to himself as he continued to cry... alone.**

 **As for Gumball, about half-way up the light, he opened his eyes and found him coming closer and closer. The origin of the source was like a huge overhead light that both hurt and satisfied Gumball. He felt like wanting to not look at the light as it grew larger and glarier the closer he got, but he was too overwhelmed with joy (and shame) to turn away.**

 **He tried his best to smile and said quietly to himself "I'm coming home everybody. I'm almost there." From below the ground of the darkness, the pillar was half way gone and disappeared further and further into the sky. Zach couldn't stop his crying as he saw the light fade before him, and as soon as Gumball had crossed through the top, the last bit exploded and echoed a boom throughout the darkness. It was gone, and for Zach, so were his chains and his freedom. He didn't feel like getting up despite that he could though.** _ **What's the point now**_ **he thought to himself.**

 **After a few more passing seconds for Gumball, a** _ **whoosh**_ **sound was heard, following all kinds of strange and weird noises to him. There was Darwin's screaming, his mother's crying, Tobias and Mrs. Simian's voice, and all the other noises of everyone Gumball both heard and didn't know spreading dialogue throughout whiteness. Zooming further out of the white canvas of noise, the cat eye of Gumball was seen.**

* * *

The feral creature faced up at the ceiling of white light above him, scared as ever of what was happening. The cat didn't know what was going to happen, but between the noise and the atmosphere, he couldn't stop feeling the worst coming on. Then suddenly, a feeling did come on. Still strapped down to the table, the animal's eyes began to twitch. He couldn't stop himself from doing it and began shaking his body everywhere.

He whined out a half-made "Raa-haan", clenching his teeth together with his eyes closed. It looked like he was in pain as he squirmed every which way until… a gasp. The feline opened his eyes momentarily, but kept them closed in agony. He coughed heavily, trying to regain his breath. He was in too much shock to just stop all at once, but eventually, his coughing receded and turned into normal breathing. Only then did he open his eyes, revealing to no longer be what they were. His naturalistic look had faded and back came his circular-shaped eyeballs, with pupils to go along with as well. Gumball had finally returned, but still scared as could be.

"What the" he said quietly to himself, looking around the room. He looked to his side and saw his restraints, nearly panicking. Had it not have been for the voice overhead, he almost would have screamed.

"The machine is charged," said the voice over a speaker in the room. It sounded like none other than the voice from the shadows. "Beginning shock treatment in 3…2-"

"WAAAAIIT" Gumball shouted at the top of his lungs.


	11. Caring About the Unknown

**A/N: Heeeey! So this is the final chapter of the regular story, but for all those who read about Zach, next one is sort of like a bonus chapter. I felt like it would tie this story up together nicely. If you didn't read about Zach, then this is the end, and if you did, reading the last chapter is not necessary, but still worthwhile (in my opinion.)**

 **Anyway, I am sorry if it was not all that you expected (A.K.A., too fast/not enough chapters), but I always intended for it to be that way. We all got the idea of what Gumball was like, and I think we can imagine some of the crazy things he would have done ourselves, like attack Mr. Robinson and get chased by a square dog. Anyway, I'm off to my next story (after my last Z chapter), so thank you all for your reviews, favs, and support; means/meant alot. _:)_**

* * *

Inside the one-way mirrored room, the shadow man's eyes expressed confoundment. "Huh," he said in the darkness. Gumball's voice continued to echo through the walls.

"Don't do whatever it is you're going to!" The eyes looked over at the guards to his right.

"Is that patient talking?"

"Please let me out! I need to get back to my family! I want to see Pen-nyyy!" Gumball shook himself violently back and forth using every bit of energy he had to try and escape.

"Who's this Penny?" The eyes looked over at the guards, who turned to each other for an answer.

"She must be the girl who kissed him back in the waiting room," one of the band-aid guards said.

"Where am I? Why am I tied down? I want out, NOWWW!" The eyes looked over at the child, but quickly shot back at the guards.

"Should I still administer the test?" The two looked at each other in worry over the subject, but decided to go out in the end. They reached for the door and opened it to the other side. Gumball ceased his movement when he saw it open. One of the guys slowly came out of the door as he spoke up.

"Umm, hello," he asked shyly. "Are you… feeling okay?"

"I'm tied down against my will, my claws seem to be missing, and it sounds like you're going to kill me. What do you think!?" From overhead the guards, the speaker came forward.

"Are you saying that you understand your endangerment; as though you are… thinking?"

"Yeah, I have a thought alright. THAT YOU NEED TO LET ME GO THIS INSTANT!" The guards turned to each other and figured he seemed normal enough to them. Understandably angry, but not like before. They walked over to the table Gumball was strapped down on and began untying his braces. Gumball couldn't stop vexing his eyes at them as they released him from his holdings. He instantly jumped off the table and turned back to face the guards. "Thank you good sirs," and bolted for the door.

"Hey, wait," a guard called out just as Gumball escaped. He ran past the one on standby outside, almost completely not noticing he was even there. The guy watched the kid run out the door, but felt unsure what to do. The other two came out into the open of the hall, with one holding his arms out as he asked the guy.

"Why didn't you stop him?"

"I wasn't sure if I should break my post or not," the man responded. (Cutting back to Gumball,) Gumball was running down the hall at full speed.

"Why does this feel weird all of a sudden," Gumball asked himself, looking down at his two legs. He couldn't quite place why, but it felt awkward to him. He didn't have much time to observe his legs though. As he turned a corner down the hall, he heard a woman's voice come from in front of him.

"Hey, stop right now kid!" It was the band-aid nurse, still at the front desk. She held out her left arm and tried to get him to stop. Gumball didn't care about her and proceeded on at great hast. "I said stop!" Gumball came in hot on her and didn't slow down. She looked to her right and suddenly thought an idea. She quickly threw herself to the side and covered the doorway to the waiting room. "Good luck trying to get past me, kid." Gumball smiled at her and responded with glee.

"I don't need your door."

"What?" the nurse asked the boy. When Gumball had made it to the other end, he jumped. Collapsing himself on his last step, he pressed his body down. With all paws on all fours, he leaped over and across the white table, clearing a landing on the other side. The nurse was shocked by the display, and left Gumball a little surprised. _Wow,_ he thought, _this is pretty cool._ He got back up on two feet and continued his running to the door. The nurse was a step ahead however. "You think we're that stupid?" She reached under her desk and pushed a red button. A light above the front doors glowed red and Gumball slammed face first into the glass panel. His face was pressed up against the glass, but popped back out and into pace after prying himself off.

"Hey," he shouted out at the door. He began beating on it with his fists and his eyes closed. "Let me out-let me out! I don't belong here!" Gumball immediately stopped his banging at the sound of the thunder. The rumble so loud that it made Gumball look out the glass. His eyes suddenly went up, not because he saw it was raining, but something else. From the other side of the cool glass doors, he could see Penny in the arms of her father. Her head tucked into his chest and his arms hugged around her. She faced away from Gumball, but her dad was facing his. He was too focused on comforting his daughter to look up at the doors however. _If I can just get her dad's attention, they might be able to help me!_

"Enjoy the view while you can kid," the nurse said from behind her station. Her voice had changed from bland and depressed to confident and delighted, even expressing a smile as she spoke. Gumball looked behind him with a panicked expression. "In less than a minute, the guards will come to take you back to your… rehabilitation chamber." She narrowed her eyelids at him. Gumball figured he didn't have time to argue with the lady that he was okay, so he went ahead with his first choice. He twisted back forward and started banging on the doors once again, crying out for help.

Unfortunately, from the outside, his banging and screaming was not only muffled, but what sounds he did make were drowned out by the storm. Only vaguely could one hear him shouting things like "Mr. Fitzgerald!" and "Get me out of here, please!", as well as some occasional screaming. As Gumball kept trying his hardest to get the Fitzgeralds' focus, Penny got herself up from her father and wiped what tears she could away. She looked up at him with water not only in her eyes, but all over her body from the rain.

"Why dad," Penny said sobbingly. A bolt of lightning struck through the sky. "Why did it have to be this way?" She leaned the side of her face against his shell, still with his arms wrapped around her for comfort. He didn't like seeing his daughter sad; what parent ever does?

"I'm sure he'll be okay, Penny," he tried his best to make her feel better. "and who knows; maybe you'll find someone else. Someone who's nicer and doesn't come from a dysfunctional family." The thought of Gumball being gone from his daughter's life made him the only one who smiled in his absence. Despite that Gumball "helped" Penny, he still caused her to act against him the night she left her shell, and he's always had a subconscious disliking for that cat. Something about never having to see him again brought a warm feeling to his heart. But then, after pulling his gaze up towards the building to silently thank it, the feeling dropped dead. He could see Gumball trying to force his way out with all his shouting and screaming through the glass. Penny's father immediately pulled his study back on his daughter. He wanted to believe that he didn't just see what happened. _Was that actually Gumball standing on two legs, AND crying for help?_ In the act of his absence, Penny answered him calmly, but still very devastated.

"You don't know Gumball like I do, dad." She pulled her head up from his side and looked up at him, drops of rain hitting her face and thunder still acting out above. "He might be a nuisance to you, but he was the most thoughtful, caring, and happy person I ever knew."

Inside the building, Gumball continued his efforts in what looked like vain. "Plee-he-heeease! Help meeee!" Without warning, a loud slamming sound came from behind him. The Staff Only door to the side of the desk was swung open, with the two brute band-aid guards in ivy green standing underway. They looked vicious to Gumball, making him shout at the top of his lungs even harder and faster than before. They only made him hit harder.

"I don't think I'll ever find another person quite like Gumball, dad." Penny still had no idea that he was only fifteen feet behind her. The thunder and lightning came over every noise conceivable around the two, yet Mr. Fitzgerald still didn't feel convinced. He darted his eye holes up at Gumball in a way that the blue cat wouldn't quite think he saw him. He did frown at the sight of what was coming up behind Gumball though. He only needed a few seconds to watch as Gumball was being taken down. The two guys grabbed his arms with one hand each, effectively ending his destruction on the glass. Just before they were about to drag him away, still shouting with every breath he had, Mr. Fitzgerald kept his defense against Penny.

"You are only twelve, sweet heart. Surely someone else can make you just as happy, right?" Penny adjusted her tone into from depressed to slightly annoyed. He didn't look down at her this time, but kept his focus as Gumball was beginning to be dragged away.

"It doesn't matter what age I am. It doesn't matter whether my love for Gumball was true or not to you; he still cared about me, and I want to feel that same way towards him." Her final question made him feel ashamed for his attitude towards the subject. "Doesn't my opinion of him matter just as much as yours?" The words sank his heart like a stone. He was at a loss for words and had no clue how to defend himself as he just watched Gumball be taken away. He knew what he had to do, but being the judgmental hard shell he was, he asked his last question upon her, bringing his face down to face her.

"But… do you ever think you could be happy without him?" She turned away from his face and gave him his answer with more pity than he could bear to stand any longer

"Never.*Sniffle* Not me…, or his family." She began to bawl and went back to her crying. She was not the only one soaking in water as she cried though. Mr. Fitzgerald rose his head up and let the rain wash over him too. He could see the blue cat trying with every bit of strength he had to fight his way out. He was no longer shouting at the doors or even facing them. The kid's attention was now directed on the two guys that held him. The nut couldn't hear what he was saying, but he could tell Gumball looked like he wanted to hurt them, and bad. Penny's father wondered if he was fighting for freedom or his daughter, or possibly both from his perspective. He knew the feeling he had inside of him, and that Gumball had beaten him. He closed his eyes and exhaled a loud breath out of his mouth, just going over his daughter's head.

He whispered to himself "I can't believe what I'm about to do." Despite that he thought he was silent, Penny caught her father's voice from above. She turned her head straight forward and up, facing her father.

"What, dad," she asked him whimpering and still shedding tears. The nut knew he had to act fast, and gave it his very best shot. He raised his eye holes up and wide, elevating his voice and pointing at the glass.

"I said, I can't believe that's shouting blue-It's Gumball!"

"What?!" Penny immediately twisted herself back to see through the slider doors. Her eyes instantly went up like her fathers, nearly gasping at the sight. She wanted to feel happy, but seeing him struggling in the cares' hands only worried her. She pushed herself off and away from her dad, running as fast as she could to the door. "Gumball," she shouted loudly running at the entrance. The second she started running away, Mr. Fitzgerald's ecstatic behavior faded back into an unsettling frown. He almost regretted his actions.

"I'm coming," Penny continued to shout, but was forced to a stop when the doors refused to open for her. She pressed her hands up against the glass and watched her boyfriend nearing the Staff door. They were just about to open it when Penny furious with them. "HEY! Let me in!" A lightning strike blew over the sky just after she finished, catching the nurse's focus. From inside the comfort of the facility at her desk, she could see the angry girl wanting in, but refused. She smiled at the girl on the other side and nodded her head 'no'. The nurse wasn't about to let Penny interfere with their job. It's too bad for them they didn't know how ruthless she could really be. She closed her eyes. "Let," she said to herself, opening them. "Me," she proclaimed louder, revealing diamond shaped pupils that stood vertical on her eyes. Her body began warping itself around into a large purple mass that grew taller, breaking the awning overhead the doorway and revealing to be… a dragon. In a deep, almost manly voice while thunder and lightning brew across the sky, Penny shouted "IIIINNNN!" She raised her right claw up in the air and swung down across the entire front bottom level of the building. The entrance, along with many windows and lower wall structures, crumbled into dust and debris that went flying away. The female drake lowered her neck to the ground level, peering into the waiting room below. Her head was not big enough to fit in, and so she looked at the destruction through only one eye with her snout facing away from the building. The nurse and guards inside were in a near state of disbelief. White bricks were littered everywhere inside and out. White dust filled many areas around the buildings interior, and hanging ceiling lamps sparked from the damage swinging back and forth. The chairs were spread every which way around the room, to which the nurse grabbed one closer to her desk, holding it up against the beast. "Release him at once," Penny demanded, "or so help me, *thunder rumble* I'll burn this entire place to the ground… with you in it!" No one objected to the order, and the guards slowly placed Gumball down to the floor. No one inside, including Gumball, could stop taking their eyes off her. All four of their jaws dropped and eyes wide. The two men placed Gumball's back on the ground and released their grip, instantly shooting their arms high in the air. Gumball pulled himself up on his back two legs and dusted himself off. He slowly walked towards her with a smile on his face.

"Thanks Penny," he exhaled with relief. The form she took shrank back down into her old self. She gave a smile back at the blue cat, holding out each other's hands to lock into place.

"Is it really you," Penny asked him. Gumball smiled even greater in his response.

"It's me, Penny. I'm here." They both stared into their eyes and felt happy to be together again. The Moment became slightly ruined at an all too familiar sound that made one of Gumball's ears quiver with both glee and agitated.

"Boy, talk about remodeling." The voice was none other than Richards, who Gumball saw just from behind Penny was running up with his family, and Penny's father.

"Gumball!" His mother called out from behind. Gumball released his hold on Penny's hands and stepped slowly past her. He wanted to be ready for his family's embrace, but felt confused as to what was going on. All he knew was that he was in danger, and Penny was nearby at the time. He didn't even know what the place was, and he just saw his girlfriend tear in down in one swing of her hand.

"Guys?" Everyone (except Penny's dad) ran to Gumball with open arms and gathered around him, smiling, cheering, and even some crying. Before Gumball knew it, he was swarmed in and nearly squished into a huge group hug. Meanwhile, Penny decided to walk around the circle and meet up with her dad just under the destroyed door. There they both stood, watching the reunion take place. Both of them smiled at the heartwarming scene.

"This is incredible," Darwin cried out.

"It's almost too good to be true," Nicole said joyfully. Tears ran down her already soaked fur. Gumball still felt unsure as to what was going on and decided to ask.

"Where did you guys go, and what is this place?" The question took everyone by surprise. The whole family stepped back once and twice.

"Hold on," Anais started off, getting her older brothers attention. "You seriously don't know what this place is?" Gumball raised a brow as he answered her.

"No. Just that the nurse lady back there said something about a rehab chamber." Darwin immediately followed up.

"Are you saying that you recall nothing of what happened?" Gumball took a few seconds to think hard about his answer. It was complicated, but he figured it was best to keep things simple… for now.

"Just… That I… hit my head and then found Penny out here." The whole family glanced at each other in question, not that Gumball didn't take notice. "Was I… different while I was gone? I do recall acting very… uncivilized." No one was quite sure what to say or do, but Nicole figured it was best to leave him be about it.

"It-it doesn't matter," she said, rubbing the top of his dry head. "What is important is that you're here now, with us." She bent down to hug him again, prompting the others to do the same. "We're just glad your okay." Everyone smiled around Gumball as they embraced his return. Gumball wasn't too sure how to feel himself. He felt unsure of what happened outside, relieved to be back, and happy to see his family. He decided to just take in the love and accept their happiness. They were soaked, cold, and just a bit sticky from the storm, but he was happy to know his family was with him, and seeing them cry made him do just the same.

"I missed you guys so much." He tried his best to pull his arms out and wrap them around everyone he could. He could feel all their care converging on him, warming his heart and uplifting his spirit. He almost wished the moment didn't have to end, but it did. Interrupting the reunion, Richard had to ask as everyone unhugged each other around the circle of Gumball.

"The only question left to really ask though is how. How did you come back?" Gumball looked up at his father and tried his best to recall. He slowly bowed his head in the direction of Penny, who stood at the doorway with her dad. As the family came back together, the storm had since died down, and while the clouds above were still dark, they were sparse and far. Overhead all of Elmore below, the sun beated down all around Elmore, and there she stood like an angel along the long row of damage she had made for him. The orange glow of the sunset made her look truly divine in the distance.

"That is true," Darwin said, "What snapped you out of it?" Gumball knew she was the reason, but he didn't quite know how to explain it. That's when Anais noticed his staring at her. She only needed a few more seconds to compile her results.

"I guess being with Penny must have opened up a lot of memories. It's a bit of a stretch to say for certain, but perhaps love was what brought him back." Nicole and Richard both looked at each other, unable to help but smile.

The bunny father put one of his arms around and over his wife's shoulder, commenting "Aww, isn't that cute?" Gumball's eyes dilated back and opened wide. He turned his back and gave him a bit of a stern look. To him, it wasn't supposed to be cute, ticking him off some. Not that his dad or anyone noticed the dirty look for that matter. Darwin's look went unnoticed as well, for behind everyone, he was somewhat brought down. His brows curled and his lips puckered out; he was happy that Gumball was back, but couldn't help feeling like he failed some.

"Well, why don't we all head home?" Nicole said merrily, yet simultaneously exhausted. Everyone started walking towards the entrance and past Penny and her dad. While the others continued on, Gumball wanted to stay behind at the entrance for a while.

"You guys go on ahead," he said to his family. "I'll just be a minute." Everyone except Darwin looked back at the young boy, but decided to shrug it off and just keep walking. Darwin didn't turn himself around, but just moved his pupils as far to the side as he could. He felt sad inside, but wished he could be happy. _Why Penny_ , he thought to himself in shame following the others. It was Gumball, Penny, and her father all standing at the 'expanded' entrance. Gumball wanted to say something, but felt uncomfortable with his girlfriend's dad watching over them. Penny could tell what the problem was though.

"Uh, dad," she said softly looking up at him. He glanced down at her. "Could you give me and Gumball some, uhh… privacy please?" Mr. Fitzgerald put his left hand on his daughter's right shoulder and smiled at her.

"Actually, it's been a pretty eventful day. It's getting dark and you both have school tomorrow. You can speak to each other then, but for now, how about we all go home and get some rest." Penny looked a little upset with him and pleaded almost whining.

"But da-aaad?"

"Hey, you got all day tomorrow. I'm sure it can wait, darling." He did his best to keep a sincere smile on as Penny sighed and faced Gumball.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Gumball closed his eyes, smiled, and waved his hand out in front of her.

"Eh, it's all good," he told her. "I'll see ya tomorrow in the halls." Gumball did want to talk with her, but now that her dad did mention it, he did feel pretty warn out. Between all his running around both knowingly and not, he couldn't stop feeling sore all over.

"Okay then," Penny said happily to him. She wanted to at least give him a kiss on the cheek, but not with her father watching them. So she decided to just wave him good bye, turning around and walking away saying "See you in class." Gumball waved back at her as she made her way to her dad's car.

"Byeee," he pronounced joyfully. Gumball looked up at Penny's father still under the walkway. He didn't follow her immediately, but did get on with his way.

"Well," he said with a dim smile. "I should, uh, get going then. Good to know you're feeling better and all, sooo… sssee you around." He turned and started walking away, following his daughter, but before he could escape, Gumball made him stop in his place.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Back still turned away from him, the peanut became a little struck by the question. He lightly chuckled to what sounded more or less like panting, and turned slightly to see the kid.

"heh-heh, what?" He looked slightly nervous. "I don't know what you mean." Before he could continue walking, Gumball kept him still.

"It WAS you." Gumball emphasized and smiled a little, puffing out his cheeks slightly as he went on. "I saw what was going on. Penny couldn't see me where she was, but you could." Gumball walked slowly up towards him. "You saw me in danger and told Penny, knowing she would stop them. You could have kept her away from me by not saying anything, but you didn't." Gumball stood only a couple feet behind the grown hero to his back right. The father smiled slightly and continued his pace to the car.

"I think the stress of what happened has gotten to your head, kid." Gumball followed Mr. Fitzgerald from behind all the way to the peanuts car. The nut never broke his playful smile.

"Come on, Mr. Fitzgerald. Just say it."

"Say what?"

"That you don't hate me. All I want from you is to say I'm a good guy to date your daughter. I saved her life, got her to embrace herself, and constantly make her happy. Now why can't we just be friends?" Mr. Fitzgerald reached out for the handle of his door, but didn't open it quite yet. He had something he needed to tell Gumball, never breaking his smile doing it.

"Because it's a father's job to always worry about the guys my daughters are with." He pulled the handle to his vehicle and opened the door. "But it doesn't mean I don't think your all that bad, Gumball." Just before getting inside, he looked the blue cat straight in the eye and winked at him. It was enough for Gumball to almost wanna hug him, if not for him starting up the vehicle and driving away from the front of the destroyed building. Gumball caught a glimpse of Penny as she and her dad drove off into the distance on their way home. He felt happy to be back again and, though he didn't quite know what all went down, he was sure his family have the answers he'd laugh about.

"Guess I should go meet up with them," Gumball said aloud to himself. He turned away from the wreckage and began his walk to his family's station wagon. He could see Darwin already strapped in, Anais being buckled up by Nicole, and his mom and dad ready to sit in their seats. Richard got into his on the passenger side while Nicole was still standing outside with the driver door still open. She was waiting for Gumball to make it to the car.

When Gumball approached the passenger side back seat door, Nicole asked him from across "So Gumball, just to be certain, are you positive you can't remember an-y-thing that happened?" Gumball opened the door to the car as he looked up at his mom. He could see it in her face that she almost didn't truly believe him. It made Gumball somewhat nervous to have her staring down at him. He decided to stick with the best possible answer.

"No mom," he confidently said to her as he got into his seat. She bent down into the car and sat in hers as Gumball finished and buckled up. "Can't say I quite know what went down." *Click* went his seatbelt, with his mom following and the engine starting up. She looked at Gumball through the rear view mirror in the car. She didn't want to just trust what he said, but decided it was best to not act like she doesn't trust him. _I don't want to repeat the same way I treated Anais back at the house after all_ she thought to herself.

"Well okay then." She pulled the car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot. The Watersons drove their car into the sunset, ready to end the day, and begin a new adventure. This one had been a challenge for everyone, but at least they were whole again. For Gumball, he was not only releaved to have his mom be on his case, but had a new perspective on the value of his life. Not fully knowing whatever happened in the outside world, he felt like he went into a coma. He couldn't stop thinking about how easy it was that he was just, gone. It made him shake some, but it also made him more appreciative. He just lied back in his seat, Darwin in the middle and Anais on the other side of him, closed his eyes, and smiled. Grace was all Gumball could feel now that he was back, and yet there was only one thought that came to mind; well, two actually. One was the feeling of guilt for everything that ever happened, and the other… _Why do I feel like wanting to eat Darwin right now?_ He couldn't help but feel like he had the taste of fish in his mouth at one point _._ He decided to just shrug it off. He put his paws behind his head as he rested on his seat, feeling the smoothness of them in the back of his head. _Guess it's a good thing I don't have my claws back yet._


	12. Z - The Final Revelation

Over the Waterson house, night had come to rest the weary family. Nicole and Richard had since gotten into bed with the children doing the same. Anais was sound asleep in the top bunk while the two boys below had great difficulty. Darwin looked like he was asleep, but Gumball knew he wasn't. He snores when he's not awake, and Gumball could tell because he too was up. His back lay down on the mattress; he stared at the bottom of the top bunk. He couldn't sleep for many reasons that came to mind. _What happened while I was gone? Will I see Zach again in my dreams? How guilty should I feel?_ The thoughts rushed through his head at great pace. He turned his head slightly to his right to look at Darwin in his fish bowl. His eyes closed, but with a big grin on his face, Gumball decided to just ask.

"Hey Darwin, you awake?" Darwin opened his eyes and yawned slightly. He too was tired, but knew he wasn't going anywhere. His voice was tired and worn out, unlike Gumball's normal, almost not-exhausted-at-all tone.

"Yeah, I am. Why?" Gumball lifted his blanket up from under him and sat up facing Darwin.

"I can't get to sleep right now."

"How come?" Gumball felt like wanting to tell Darwin about Zach, but he didn't want Darwin to worry for him. Gumball knew it was his problem, and to make his brother get involved might only make things worse.

He sighed and replied "Never mind. Let's just say I'm kind of bummed out from what happened." Darwin's lips puckered out, raising his right brow and lowering the left one. Darwin thought to himself _he's upset and won't tell me? He's the one who started the talk._ Before the fish could speak, Gumball went on. "I noticed you weren't asleep either. Wanna tell me why that is?" Darwin looked away from Gumball, unable to stare at him.

"I don't think you want to know why. It's personal." Gumball's curiosity got the best of him and refused to let it be dropped. Darwin was always more insecure about his personal problems than he was. When Darwin felt bad, it made Gumball feel sorry for him. As the eldest brother, he knew it was his responsibility to make his siblings feel better. He was just grateful that Darwin always tried to keep him happy too.

"Come on, Darwin. I don't want to see you bummed out like this. My problem can't be fixed; just trust me on that. But I bet yours can." He did his best to pull his aching muscles up and smile at his younger brother. Darwin tried his best to resist spilling his guts out, but he couldn't stop himself. Gumball's care was too overwhelming for him to hold back. He decided to try his best and smile, but only held it on the first part of his speech.

"Oh alright." He took a deep breath and prepared for the worst. "I'm happy that you're back and everything. It really feels great to know you can speak and walk and all. It's just that… well… I'm upset because you… you…"

"I what? What have I done to possible upset you?" Darwin began to feel upset inside. He felt like the longer he'd go on, the worse he would get. He didn't want to say it, but knew Gumball wouldn't drop it. He had already crossed a point of no return.

"I'm disappointed that you care more about Penny than you do me, alright." Gumball's eyes shot straight up and dilated back. He nearly gasped if it weren't for some resentment. He changed his tone from sincere to annoyingly serious.

"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you're still jealous that I spend SOME time with her?" Darwin got extremely defensive, almost tearing up.

"It's not that, okay. *Sniffle* Look, I understand that you want to spend time with her, and I feel like I've moved on from that. I just never thought you would love her more than me is all." Gumball began to feel a little ashamed of his sudden change, and dialed it back some.

"Hey, that's not true at all. I treasure you both equally. Different, sure, but I don't care about anyone more." Still standing up in his fishbowl, Darwin twisted his body around, unable to look at his face.

"I would have believed you before, but if what Anais said was true, then you're lying to me."

"Wait, what? What are you talking about? I don't understand." Darwin was a little upset with Gumball, but he couldn't express his anger. It wasn't in his nature to get or stay mad at others, and the last person he'd ever want to be that way with was Gumball. He kept it bottled down, trying his best to stay sad instead.

"What is there to not? It's simple." He quickly wiped away the tears rolling down one of his eyes. He didn't want to face his brother looking like a running faucet. "If what Anais said was correct, which let's face it, we all know she's right, it was the thought and memories of Penny that made you you again. Despite being around us, less than ten minutes with Penny was all it took for her to make you yourself again." Darwin began to sniffle some, closing his eyes as tears were starting to come on. He didn't want Gumball to see him cry, but felt it was pointless to try and hide it. "You think more highly of her than you do me, and if you didn't, then she wouldn't have saved you." As Darwin kept sniffling and whining about the betrayal, Gumball felt speechless. He wanted to say that Darwin wasn't right, but it did make sense to him. He couldn't help but think to himself as Darwin continued to sob. _What if that's true? Do I really think more about her than him?_ He started to feel horrible for making Darwin feel bad, and could only come up with one excuse.

"But, it wasn't just her; it was a… well a uh… kiss." Darwin opened his eyes, but couldn't find words to speak up. Gumball depressingly pressed on. "I mean, when she kissed me, I'm sure it just… overwhelmed my body and brain, so it wasn't just her, but that too." Darwin stopped his sniffling, but couldn't halt his tears.

"How do you know that," he asked his brother. "I thought you said you didn't remember anything." Gumball couldn't think of an excuse, but Darwin wasn't finished yet. "Look, I know that it's just something I have to accept is all. You're getting older and are more interested in being with her than you are me. I just wish it didn't mean we had to grow apart is all." Gumball could tell he needed some comfort and reached his paw out behind Darwin's back.

"We're not growing apart, you-and-I. You probably just think that because you feel alone without me is all. I gotta say, it really makes me feel important, but I don't want you to think you aren't." Darwin didn't want his sympathy though. He jumped out of his fishbowl and walked to the center of the room, facing his window outside.

"You might not see it the way I do though. Think about it: You have a girlfriend; I don't. Everyone at school wants to talk with you; I feel barely acknowledged when by myself. What's perhaps worst of all though… you got to be born into this family. I was just… bought." Darwin held his head down in shame, feeling like he just wanted to drop face first to the floor. Gumball continued to watch Darwin from his bedside, feeling awful for the poor guy. "You and I aren't all that alike Gumball, not even blood, but how can you think I wouldn't feel upset? I just have to deal with the facts: Soon enough, you probably won't even think of me as your brother anymore." Gumball almost couldn't believe he just heard Darwin say such a thing. He wasn't sure how to feel: mortified that Darwin thinks twice about him, or upset that he might be onto something. Gumball immediately went on standby about the ordeal, trying to stay silent as to not wake Anais.

"Don't say that!" He got off from his bed and around to Darwin, hugging him from the side. "Of course you're my brother, and you always will be. The thought of losing you would tear me apart inside. I don't want us to grow apart anymore than you do, I swear!" Darwin appreciated his honesty, but still couldn't smile or be happy with him.

"I wish I could trust what you're saying Gumball, but I can't. We're not even from the same family." Darwin crossed his arms, refusing to look at Gumball, who unwrapped himself from the fish. He just stared at his backside feeling ashamed of himself for Darwin. _That is true,_ he thought to himself. _He wasn't born a Waterson, but I was._ Gumball collapsed his head, facing the floor below him. He wasn't too sure what to say or do. Given everything that happened, Darwin was right about Penny, but he wanted to stand up for the family-issue. He just didn't quite know what to say about it. Then, suddenly, a light bulb went on in Gumball's head. He pulled himself up with a smile on his face, knowing exactly what he wanted to say.

"Actually, you and I have more in common than you realize, buddy." Darwin didn't say anything, but still facing away from Gumball, he looked his pupils in the direction of his feline companion. "You want to know something I learned while I was gone, Darwin?"

"What," Darwin said bitterly, still refusing to face Gumball.

"If I tell you, you have to swear that you won't explain this to anybody. No one can help me, but it might make you feel better to know the truth. Promise me you won't tell?" Darwin was beginning to get skeptical. The sudden change in his behavior caught the young fish's attention. He rolled his eyeballs, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and finally turned to face him once more.

"I guess so, if you think it will reeeally make me feel better." Gumball remained silent for a few seconds, trying to figure out the best place to start.

"You remember how I said I didn't know what happened while I was gone; like I just… vanished?" Darwin nodded his head. "Well, I lied. Even though I have no clue what went down with you and the others, I was actually somewhere else for the time being." One of Darwin's brows shot up. He was already lost.

"Huh? Where?" Gumball took a deep breath to compose himself.

"As weird as this will sound to you, I was… in my brain." Darwin blinked, widening his eyes, doing nothing. "And while I was there, I met Zach."

"What," Darwin whispered loudly. Gumball tried to shush him, whispering to stay quiet for the sake of their sister. Too bad it was already too late. Unknown to the two, the youngest bunny from up above was awake. Darwin made her turn over in their direction, but she said nothing. She just watched from up her bunk, eavesdropping on them from the distance. She hugged her Daisy the Donkey doll tighter in her arms, giving it a near deadly hug as she gripped it with all her might.

"Yes, okay! It's true. I met Zach, alright?" Anais went from being sleepy to wide awake at the sudden news. She opened her mouth in some shock, but said not a word. Last thing she wanted was for Gumball to stop.

"But I thought you got rid of him. You changed your name legally after all." Gumball relaxed his face muscles, pulling one of the longest frowns Darwin had ever seen.

"That's just it though. I changed my name, but when I was born, it was Zach. You know as well as I do that we are two completely different people, and while I was there, he shared something with me that really… bummed me out." Darwin no longer felt sad or angry with him anymore, replacing it with genuine concern.

He asked nicely "What was it?" _Yeah,_ Anais thought from above, _what indeed?_

"Zach and I are so different, that to be born as Zach and still act like me, Gumball, never really clicked inside. He made me realize that… before you or Anais ever came along, he was the one who was born. Then later down the road, I came along and took over. I literally stole the life he was born with, which means… I was never actually born myself, and all I am is another personality." Darwin and Anais's eyes looked wider than ever before. Her jaw dropped as far as could be with Darwin's opened about half way between. Both were totally speechless. To them, it was like hearing Gumball say he wasn't their brother, and for Anais on top of that, she felt a little upset with herself that she never put the two together. Gumball continued to face the direction of Darwin, but couldn't look at him any longer. He was too brought down by the shame and guilt to even stand straight.

"Wow," Darwin exhaled finally. "So that means that… you… you-"

"I'm, technically speaking, not our mom and dad's real child. I just inhabit this body. The Zach they had and knew… is buried away. I can never get rid of him, because he is a part of me, like I-am-him." Gumball knew that last sentence was a lie. Being the more powerful specimen in the mind, he could have extinguished Zach as a memory, but he didn't want to tell Darwin that. He figured it was best to not even bring up the possibility of having the chance the finish him off, knowing Darwin would just argue that he should have to be safe.

"But if Mrs. Mom and Mr. Dad never actually bore you, then does that make you a… a…" Gumball exhaled loudly with his eyes closed.

"Adopted," he confessed. "But by force I guess, and not like you or others for that matter." Gumball opened his eyes, but still looked away from his adopted brother. "What's even worse is that, despite that he was a jerk wad and all, what right did I have to take his life away from him? At least your life is your own." Darwin was almost unsure what to say. The news made him see Gumball in a whole new manner. As sorry as he was for Gumball, there was also a part of him that was happy. As selfish as it was for him to know this, it also made him more sincere to Gumball.

"That's incredible. But why did you not say anything? Why do you not want anyone else to know this but me?" Gumball finally looked at Darwin, but still couldn't fix himself up, remaining slouched over to the ground.

"Because there's nothing that can be done to make him go away. He'll always be with me, so there's no point in anyone knowing or even remembering about him." Saying that no one should remember him really made Gumball feel guilty. He felt more like Zach than ever saying something so wretched about the guy. _I wonder how he's holding up in there?_ "I figured you might want to know if it could bring you some consolation was all." Gumball managed to smile at the fish. "You and I actually have more in common than you think." Darwin was overwhelmed with all kinds of happy emotions. Joy, gratitude, admiration, and even contentment all lifted Darwin's spirit inside. The thought that Gumball was a foster child like Darwin was almost too good to be true, and he showed it by grabbing Gumball and forcing him into the tightest hug he could possibly give him. It was so strong that Gumball actually thought he was going to be crushed in his arms.

"Thank you, Gumball," Darwin said, beginning to tear up with happiness from behind the blue cat. Gumball felt so constrained, he could only speak in a raspy manner.

"For what?" Darwin released him the hug, letting him gasp and inhale for air as Darwin went on.

"For telling me the truth. I can't even begin to express how happy you've made me feel." Gumball put his right paw over his chest, still gasping for air.

"I think *gasp* you already have *gasp*" He was in some pain from the hug, but he did feel happy to know that Darwin was feeling better. From overhead behind them, Anais was smiling and felt happy for them. She knew it meant a lot to Darwin to know that kind of information. They shared not only common interests, but even family ties. _If what Gumball said is true, then he is just like Darwin. It makes complete sense that Zach would be born and not Gumball after all._ She wanted to watch them come back and fall asleep, but she didn't want to risk them catching her awake, and so she closed her eyes, pulling Daisy the Donkey's head up in front of her smile. She couldn't get rid of it and had to hide it from them in case they looked up. After a couple more minutes of talk, Gumball and Darwin finally felt happy and comfortable enough to go to sleep. The two brothers said their goodnights and drifted off to the realm of dreams. Anais followed them, but not right away. Deep down, she was proud of her older brother. The thought of him and Darwin being friends forever made her happy for them, especially for Darwin. She knew that Darwin, being a fish, always felt different from her and Gumball, but knowing that Gumball and Darwin shared something like this was over the top for her. She felt that any worries Darwin had about Gumball abandoning him were probably long gone now. Gumball and her both hoped there would be no more fear from Darwin, but only time would give that answer. For now, all was right again, and everyone felt happy. Everyone, except a small part of Gumball. The only real question left for him to ask himself was this: Was that small part Gumball's consciousness of guilt from Zach, or Zach himself?


End file.
